Russian, Belarusian players denied entry for Prague WTA event

Czech police stopped a Russian tennis player from entering the country ahead of the WTA Prague Open tournament, organizers said on Friday, as a new government resolution banning athletes from Russia or Belarus caused the event to scratch other competitors.

The Prague Open starts on Monday and was expected to see a handful of Russian and Belarusian players, including Evgeniya Rodina of Russia or Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, competing as neutrals, without any national flag or symbol.

But the government approved a resolution at the end of June banning athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing in events on Czech territory, allowing police to revoke visas to those nationals.