WTA yatangaje ku wa Gatatu mu itangazo ihuriyeho n’Ishyirahamwe rya Tennis muri Saudi Arabia ko impande zombi zumvikanye gusesa ayo masezerano yari yatangajwe muri Mata 2024, nyuma yo kuyakoramo imyaka ibiri gusa.
Indian Wells Tennis Garden, isanzwe yakira irushanwa rikomeye rya ATP na WTA 1000 buri mwaka muri Werurwe, akaba ari nayo izakira WTA Finals izaba kuva tariki ya 8 kugeza ku ya 15 Ugushyingo 2026.
Umuyobozi wa WTA, Valerie Camillo, yavuze ko Indian Wells ari ahantu hakwiriye kwakira iri rushanwa rihuza abakinnyi 8 ba mbere ku rutonde rw’amanota mu bagore mu mikino ya singles ndetse n’amakipe 8 ya doubles.
Saudi Arabia yari yarabonye uburenganzira bwo kwakira WTA Finals mu gihe cy’imyaka itatu, isimbura Cancun yo muri Mexico. Ayo masezerano yari azanye n’ibihembo binini mu mateka y’irushanwa bingana na miliyoni 15 z’amadolari. Mu mwaka ushize, Elena Rybakina ni we wegukanye iri rushanwa atsinze Aryna Sabalenka ku mukino wa nyuma, ahabwa miliyoni 5.235 z’amadolari kubera kuba yaratsinze imikino yose yakinnye muri iri rushanwa.
Gusa kuba Saudi Arabia yarahawe iri rushanwa byagiye bivugwaho byinshi, aho imiryango iharanira uburenganzira bwa muntu yayishinjaga gukoresha siporo mu guhindura isura yayo ku rwego mpuzamahanga, ibyo bise “sportswashing”. Saudi Arabia yo igahakana ibyo birego ivuga ko yubahiriza amategeko yayo kandi ikarinda umutekano w’igihugu.
Abakinnyi bakomeye bahoze bakina tennis nka Chris Evert na Martina Navratilova na bo bari baragaragaje impungenge bavuga ko indangagaciro za WTA zitandukanye n’imyitwarire y’igihugu cyari cyatoranyijwe kwakira iri rushanwa.
Nubwo habayeho impaka, Ishyirahamwe rya Tennis muri Saudi Arabia rivuga ko ubufatanye bwafashije guteza imbere tennis y’abagore muri icyo gihugu, aho ibikorwa byayo byageze ku bantu barenga ibihumbi 30 binyuze mu mahugurwa y’abatoza b’abagore, abarimu b’imyitozo ngororamubiri ndetse n’abakina tennis mu rwego rwo kwirinda kanseri y’ibere.
Nyuma yo kuva muri Saudi Arabia, WTA iracyashaka ahantu hazakira iri rushanwa mu gihe kirekire guhera mu 2027. Nubwo WTA Finals yagiye ihura n’impinduka zitandukanye mu myaka ishize. Shenzhen yo mu Bushinwa yari yarahawe amasezerano y’imyaka 10 yo kuyakira, ariko irushanwa rihagarara mu 2020 kubera COVID-19. Ryaje gukinirwa muri Guadalajara muri Mexico mu 2021, Fort Worth muri Texas mu 2022, ndetse Cancun ikakira irushanwa rya 2023 ryagiye rinengwa kubera imitegurire.