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  "path": "/sport/tennis/wimbledon-statement-palestine-symbol",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-03T14:12:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Rory McIlroy caught in awkward Wimbledon moment with wife Erica Stoll",
    "Germany boss quits after World Cup disaster amid explosive WAGs row",
    "Travis Kelce sparks wedding guest list drama as NFL friends left unhappy ahead of Taylor Swift wedding",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nWimbledon has defended its decision to allow a watermelon symbol associated with Palestine to appear on court after a player claimed she was prevented from wearing a pro-Palestine pin during this year's Championships.\n\nTournament organisers insisted the symbol displayed on Zeynep Sonmez's racket did not breach the All England Club's rules, despite its widely recognised association with Palestinian identity.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe issue emerged after the Turkish player revealed she had replaced a Palestine pin with a watermelon-shaped vibration dampener following discussions with Wimbledon officials.\n\nThe All England Club prohibits players from displaying political messages during matches, but tournament director Jamie Baker said the symbol on Sonmez's racket did not warrant disciplinary action.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n\"We don't allow any kind of political messaging from players on court, certainly that caused any type of disruption,\" Baker said.\n\n\"That has been consistent across the rules for a long time.\n\n\"But in terms of the watermelon, we don't think that's meeting the threshold for causing any type of disruption... or worth any punishment.\"\n\nThe watermelon has become widely associated with Palestinian identity because its colours mirror those of the Palestinian flag - red, green, white and black - and it has increasingly been used as an alternative symbol in recent years.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSonmez, currently ranked world No 51, said she had originally hoped to wear a Palestine pin but was told this would not be permitted.\n\nSpeaking to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency, she said: \"I used to wear a pin. Tournaments no longer allow me to wear it.\n\n\"We had a discussion with the organisers because the Ukrainian flag is allowed but the Palestinian is not.\n\n\"They ultimately told us they definitely would not allow it.\n\n### LATEST SPORTS NEWS:\n\n\n\n\n  * Rory McIlroy caught in awkward Wimbledon moment with wife Erica Stoll\n  * Germany boss quits after World Cup disaster amid explosive WAGs row\n  * Travis Kelce sparks wedding guest list drama as NFL friends left unhappy ahead of Taylor Swift wedding\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"So, I can't wear the pin. I can use the vibration dampener, and they can't object to that. That's why I put the watermelon symbol on my racket.\"\n\nThe differing treatment of the two symbols prompted further questions for Wimbledon officials.\n\nEarlier in the Championships, Ukrainian player Daria Snigur was photographed wearing a Ukrainian flag pin while competing.\n\nAsked why one emblem had been permitted while another was not, Baker argued the situations were fundamentally different.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"The Ukrainian situation was obviously quite unique, and we were following our government guidance, and the international response,\" he said.\n\n\"We provided support to our Ukrainian players for quite a while, so that was an individual situation.\"\n\nSonmez's racket attracted attention throughout her singles campaign before she exited the tournament with a second-round defeat to American Claire Liu.\n\nShe later returned to the courts in the women's doubles alongside Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, although the pair were also eliminated.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe 24-year-old has previously spoken publicly about her support for Palestinians.\n\nIn an interview with the WTA last year, she said: \"It's a sensitive area for me. People in Palestine are suffering.\n\n\"I see the videos and photos and feel that there's not so much we can do.\n\n\"But we can always do our best.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"I want everyone to know that I'm standing with them.\"\n\nHer comments were later praised by Turkey's Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Askin Bak, who commended her stance on social media.\n\nWimbledon continues to operate one of the strictest dress codes in professional sport, requiring players to wear almost entirely white clothing while also maintaining long-standing rules governing political messaging on court.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Wimbledon issue statement after Palestine symbol sparks controversy"
}