Vismane and Astakhova won a women's doubles International Tennis Federation W25 tournament in Horb am Neckar on Sunday (July 30).

Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been permitted to continue playing as neutrals since the start of the war in Ukraine, which was a softer stance than most other sports at the beginning of the conflict.

It has been used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to justify its lifting of a recommended outright ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

However, opposition to both countries' presence under any flag remains in Europe, with Latvia among the most vocal in its criticism of the Olympic Movement's stance.

Earlier this year some athletes including tennis player Jeļena Ostapenko temporarily had state funding withdrawn for competing against rivals from Russia and Belarus, for which then-LOK President Žoržs Tikmers later apologised.

LOK secretary general Kārlis Lejnieks has revealed its plans to seek an explanation from Latvian Tennis Union and the players concerned on why they have participated in doubles with counterparts from Russia and Belarus, with Darja Semenistaja another Latvian having doing so with Sofya Lansere in May.

"First of all, it is the athlete's choice to play with," Lejnieks told public-service radio broadcaster Latvijas Radio.

"Secondly, if there are such decisions, one must take responsibility for one's actions.

"There was already an invitation from the Tennis Union to evaluate their partners.

"One is that we will wait for the athlete's own explanations, but the second thing is that there will be a conversation with the Tennis Union on how to proceed in this situation, taking into account that both athletes essentially represent the country of Latvia.

"It applies less to Daniela, but to Darja that she is already 150th [in the Women's Tennis Association singles ranking] and approaching the 100th, which is also a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games."

New LOK President Jānis Buks has insisted "a neutral flag does not change the status of the aggressor countries in any way" and underlined his opposition to Russia and Belarus' presence at Paris 2024.

The IOC has stressed a decision on both countries' involvement at next year's Olympics has not yet been taken, but has claimed its recommendations to only allow Russian and Belarusian athletes as individual neutrals where they are not affiliated to the military and have not supported the war in Ukraine represent a "middle ground".