Four people have been expelled from the Australian Open tennis tournament for displaying the Russian flag, banned from the Melbourne Park sports complex and threatening security.
This was reported by the police and the Australian Tennis Federation.
A police spokeswoman said the perpetrators were not charged but were removed from the site.
The flags appeared in a group gathered outside the Rod Laver Arena after Novak Djokovic beat Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals of the season’s first Grand Slam tournament on Wednesday.
At least one of the flags featured an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“A small group of people displayed inappropriate flags and threatened security after Wednesday night’s game and were sent off. Players and their teams … have been reminded of the tournament’s policy regarding flags and symbols and the need to avoid situations that could lead to infractions, the federation said in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement.”
The flags of Russia and Belarus were banned from Melbourne Park on day two of the Australian Open after spectators brought them to the stands the day before.
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