Russia has expressed interest in hosting the WTA Finals after Singapore, according to the director of the WTA St Petersburg Ladies Open.
Natalia Kamelzon said during an interview with Sports Express that St Petersburg is in the process of trying to persuade the WTA to bring the year-end tournament to the city. St Petersburg currently hosts both ATP and WTA tournaments. The men’s is held at the Sport Club Dinamo and the women’s is played at the Sibur Arena.
“We hope, we really want and do everything to bring the WTA Finals tournament to the city with the participation of eight of the strongest tennis players in the world.” Kamelzon told Sport Express.
According to the Russian official, a total of six cities has expressed their desire to host the year-end extravaganza in the future. It is reported that three of those cities are based in China. In April it was confirmed that Manchester in England has also indicated an interest in hosting the event. Britain currently hosts the ATP Finals at the O2 Arena in London.
“With the applicant’s – six cities, of which three are Chinese. I can say that St. Petersburg has a good chance!” Kamelzon believes.
Singapore’s five-year deal to host the season-ending event will enter into its final phrase in 2018, leaving room for a new host to take over from 2019 onwards. The tournament has been held in Asia since 2014, increasing the chances of it being moved to Europe or another continent.
The Russian doping fiasco
Should Russia be awarded the multi-million dollar event, the WTA could come under fierce criticism. Many have spoken against the country hosting high-profile sporting events after two independent reports uncovered a history of widespread doping in the country. The Russian track and field team are currently banned from IAAF competition.
An investigation discovered that doping samples were tampered with during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. It was part of an alleged state-sponsored plan to cover their athletes who had prohibited substances in their system, which Russia continues to deny. This resulted in the country being stripped of hosting the Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships last December.
Earlier this month, Russia refused to accept the outcome of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) McLaren report. As a consequence their anti-doping agency is still classed as ‘non-compliant’ by WADA. Although the Russian Tennis Federation has never been implicated in any doping scandal.
