The Natural Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 This: Quote The 20-time Major champion came under fire almost two years ago when he organised an exhibition event, the Adria Tour, in the midst of the pandemic during Summer 2020 with full crowds while footage showed players partying at nightclubs, which resulted in himself and several others including Grigor Dimitrov testing positive for Covid, cancelling the event. Another Australian sports reporter, Matt Walsh, joked that “whoever knocks Djokovic out of the Aus Open may never need to buy a beer in Australia ever again.” Meanwhile, one Melbourne resident – Karen Sweeney – hinted that the nine-time Aussie Open champion wouldn’t be taken kindly to by locals when he arrived Down Under. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Well things are getting REAL interesting Quote Novak Djokovic’s announcement that he had been granted a medical exemption to play in the Australian Open drew a swift rebuke Wednesday from the country’s prime minister, who said the tennis champion must prove upon arrival why he deserves an exemption from coronavirus vaccination or he will be “on the next plane home.” Scott Morrison’s comment came the day after tournament officials and the state of Victoria, site of this month’s event in Melbourne, confirmed that the world’s No. 1 player — the Open’s defending and nine-time champion — would participate, seeking his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam men’s singles title when play begins Jan. 17. “We await his presentation and what evidence he provides us to support that,” Morrison said during a news conference that followed a meeting of state leaders to discuss the record levels of coronavirus infections in the country. “If that evidence is insufficient, then he won’t be treated any different to anyone else and he’ll be on the next plane home. There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all. None whatsoever.” Tennis Australia and Victoria officials said Djokovic had been one of a “handful” of people granted medical exemptions and had received no special treatment, with applications anonymous and reviewed by two independent panels. Without an exemption, all Australian Open participants, including staff and fans attending the event, are required to show proof of vaccination. The federal government, however, is responsible for international borders and visas and did not participate in the process for considering exemptions. Morrison added that some exemptions had been granted — provided adequate reasons were shown. “So the circumstances are not unique. The issue is whether he has sufficient evidence to support that he would qualify for that exception,” he said. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 This story keeps getting weirder and weirder According to the story - he isn't being let in due do a Visa issue (since apparently his team applied for the wrong Visa) so now the local government is fighting with the federal government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Kinda feel like the Aussie feds are going to do anything and everything they can to find problems with Novak's visa and anything else. Can't blame them - looks really bad for them if a rich guy like him is able to skirt the vaccination requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 (edited) “Supposedly,” the exempt process is anonymous, so it wasn’t like he was approved for being a rich athlete. but, you know, how things really work. Update Edited January 5, 2022 by odessasteps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Australia has officially cancelled his visa and is planning on deporting him tomorrow (Thursday) Obviously the lawyers are now involved EDIT - Dammit Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 That's what i get for updating my post rather than flooding the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 1 hour ago, odessasteps said: “Supposedly,” the exempt process is anonymous, so it wasn’t like he was approved for being a rich athlete. but, you know, how things really work. Oh, I'm sure it was "anonymous". The feds just decided they didn't like how it looked regardless of whether the process was actually followed or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 2 hours ago, odessasteps said: “Supposedly,” the exempt process is anonymous, so it wasn’t like he was approved for being a rich athlete. but, you know, how things really work. I am sure that he got some doctor's certificate that says that he cannot get the vaccine. Of course, if you are rich, if have more means to find a doctor who might be lenient in writing such a certificate. Even people that are not try to get around such stuff. For example here in Austria, since the government announced a vaccination mandate (to come effective in a month or two), there are reports of "cheating" at vaccinations and getting questionable medical exemptions on a daily basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadEffect Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 As someone who lives in Melbourne, the anti tennis sentiment has been building for a while anyway. Last year, we got sent back into lockdowns around this time while the tennis was allowed to continue without crowds but with no other restrictions which really pissed a lot of people off. We have had a lot of drama the last few months with the QAnon/conspiracy/aggressively anti-vax crowd and I think seeing our respective authorities give yet another rich bastard a free pass was the straw that broke the camels back and the collective anger has been furious. Even amongst people who support the AO regardless, the amount of people requesting their money back or refusing to support the event has been surprising. We're in a situation here where the mess of how both our federal government and the individual states have handled things is that pathetic, that the cancellation of his visa seems like a ploy from Scott Morrison to rescue some popularity at a time where public opinion of him is at an all time low which isn't good with an election on the horizon. When people can't travel from state to state without getting negative tests and/or quarantining, while the entirety of Western Australia is cut off from the rest of the country due to their Covid response and where a lot of businesses and individuals are facing uncertain futures, letting Djokovic in is just adding fuel to the fire. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L_W_P Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 43 minutes ago, DeadEffect said: As someone who lives in Melbourne, the anti tennis sentiment has been building for a while anyway. Last year, we got sent back into lockdowns around this time while the tennis was allowed to continue without crowds but with no other restrictions which really pissed a lot of people off. We have had a lot of drama the last few months with the QAnon/conspiracy/aggressively anti-vax crowd and I think seeing our respective authorities give yet another rich bastard a free pass was the straw that broke the camels back and the collective anger has been furious. Even amongst people who support the AO regardless, the amount of people requesting their money back or refusing to support the event has been surprising. We're in a situation here where the mess of how both our federal government and the individual states have handled things is that pathetic, that the cancellation of his visa seems like a ploy from Scott Morrison to rescue some popularity at a time where public opinion of him is at an all time low which isn't good with an election on the horizon. When people can't travel from state to state without getting negative tests and/or quarantining, while the entirety of Western Australia is cut off from the rest of the country due to their Covid response and where a lot of businesses and individuals are facing uncertain futures, letting Djokovic in is just adding fuel to the fire. This is 100% what it is. If the public outcry against Djoker coming in wasn't so loud, Morrison would have done nothing. This goes to show what an absolute rort the vaccine mandate is. The state gov only approved Novak because he was a drawcard for a huge event. The federal government only denied the application because it is a good PR move. Neither side gives a single fuck about the public health or any COVID issues. It's all about popularity and point scoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadEffect Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, L_W_P said: This is 100% what it is. If the public outcry against Djoker coming in wasn't so loud, Morrison would have done nothing. This goes to show what an absolute rort the vaccine mandate is. The state gov only approved Novak because he was a drawcard for a huge event. The federal government only denied the application because it is a good PR move. Neither side gives a single fuck about the public health or any COVID issues. It's all about popularity and point scoring. Yeah, especially after just about every other sporting event made at least some concessions too, people are just sick of the AO. Some of my friends who are tennis fans have said the biggest frustration is that other players have been refused entry on vaccination grounds, so making a specific exemption for him just reeks of different rules for those with wealth. Personally, I've been a die hard ALP supporter since I was a teenager and I'm pushing 40, but they have very little to offer, while Morrison and his mob IMO are the absolute worst of the shitpile that is Australian politics in 2022. A lot of this seems like a desperate ploy on Morrison's part to divert attention from the massive shitfight that is the current RAT situation before the election. When even conservative strongholds like the Murdoch press are starting to question his actions, then he's in big trouble come May 21. If Albanese can be even remotely competent as opposition he'll be in the box set, but that's a big if as he's proven to be pretty pissweak since taking over the role. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Australia is holding a federal election this year, possibly between February and May, and the incumbent party has been behind in polling for over a year (granted a polling deficit didn't stop the incumbent party in 2019) Just adding that note since I suspect the people who could be on the verge of losing their elective jobs in Australia might think it's better for their near-future prospects if Djokovic isn't playing in their tournament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Feel bad for the poor bastard telling Novax his visa had not been approved? He's hot headed at the best of times but this would have sent him extra mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Couple of hundred of people taking it to the streets of Belgrade, Djokovic senior is comparing his son with Jesus and the Serbian government taking diplomatic steps against Australia, if this won't turn out to be one of the weirder stories of the year, we are in for a shit-show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 41 minutes ago, Robert s said: Couple of hundred of people taking it to the streets of Belgrade, Djokovic senior is comparing his son with Jesus and the Serbian government taking diplomatic steps against Australia, if this won't turn out to be one of the weirder stories of the year, we are in for a shit-show. He also compated Novax to Spartacus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 Divisive Djokovic: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/59881229 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolfan in NYC Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 Reneta Voracova is apparently unvaccinated too and now she too, is in the same detention hotel with Djokovic awaiting an appeal. She claims she has recently recovered from Covid too. For their part, the Czech tennis authority is lying and says there are "several other players" in there with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 I heard a pod today where they mentioned some players are bring checked for fake certificates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Djokovic allegedly was tested positive for Corona on December, 16th. On December, 17th, he went to a photo-op with lots of children(some kids award ceremony), posing with lots of children for photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReiseReise Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Fuck dat Novax DjoCovid guy. Seriously, he has been unlikeable before, but his behavior during this whole pandemic disgusts me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleavy Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I fully expect him to be let in and allowed to play, regardless of visa/vaccination status. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Looking forward to the Serbian Open taking place head to head with the Australian Open if Novak isn't allowed to play. Unless there's something clearly stating the date that Novak got the test results was the 16th, he should just claim (or lie) that he took the test on the 16th and got the results after the photo op with the kids so that the heat is more on him doing an appearance with test results pending instead of doing an appearance knowing he had Covid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Breaking news, Australian media reporting Novax Djokovic has won his case. I'm not surprised. The crowds will let him have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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