Brisbane, Australia - Novak Djokovic's chance to play for his 10th Australian Open title was thrown into jeopardy on Thursday after the country denied him entry and revoked his visa as he failed to meet exemption requirements from COVID-19 vaccination rules. failed to complete.
Top-ranked Djokovic announced on social media on Tuesday that he had "exemption allowed" and landed in Australia late Wednesday after receiving a medical exemption from the Victoria state government, protecting him from strict vaccination rules for this year. was expected. First major tennis tournament.
But the border officials did not accept the exemption. The Australian Border Force issued a statement saying that Djokovic failed to meet the entry requirements.
"The rule is very clear," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a news conference on Thursday. "You need a medical waiver. He didn't have a valid medical exemption. We call the border, and that's where it's enforced."
Why Novak Djokovic's visa was revoked – and what it means for the Australian Open
4hD'Arcy Men
Health Minister Greg Hunt said after the visa cancellation Djokovic's medical exemption was reviewed by border officials, who "looked at the sincerity and the evidence behind it."
He added that Djokovic is free to appeal against the decision, "but if the visa is revoked, someone will have to leave the country."
The president of Djokovic's native Serbia denounced the "harassment" of Starr, who was detained overnight at Melbourne Tulamarin Airport. The 20-time major winner had to wait more than eight hours at the airport to find out if he would be allowed in. Country. He was later taken to the Park Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton, pending arrangements for a flight out of Australia or legal action.
According to local media, Djokovic's lawyers have started legal action in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia against the cancellation of his visa.
Morrison confirmed the cancellation in a Twitter post: "No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical for Australia, which has one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to remain vigilant." Huh."
Later in response to questions about confusion over individual state and federal requirements, Morrison said that having the correct documentation upon arrival was up to individual passengers.
The prime minister rejected the suggestion that Djokovic was being dropped, but acknowledged that other players could be in Australia on a similar medical exemption.
"One of the things that the Border Force does is that they act on intelligence to direct their attention to potential arrivals," he said. "When you give people a public statement about what they have, and are going to do, they draw significant attention to themselves."
Anyone who does "whether they're a celebrity, a politician, a tennis player... they can expect to be asked more questions than others before you arrive."
The medical exemption, vetted by two independent panels of experts and based on information supplied anonymously by players and taken at face value, allowed Djokovic to play at the Australian Open, regardless of vaccination status for COVID-19. was designed to allow.
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