Recently, Australia banned the entry of ATP's world No 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic and this has created a lot of hue and cry. Djokovic, who was set to play the Australian Open, that begins on January 17, had his entry visa cancelled by the government. But why did it all happen? We explain it here.
To begin with, who is Novak Djokovic?
Novak Djokovic is a 34-year-old Serbian professional tennis player who has, until now, won 20 grand slam singles. He turned pro in 2003 and in 2008, won his first Australian Open.
And why was he not allowed into Australia in January 2022?
To put it plainly, Djokovic wasn't vaccinated against COVID. Australia, on the other hand, has strict vaccination rules in place for this year's tournament, considering the rising number of cases.
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So why did Djokovic go to Australia when he wasn't vaccinated?
On January 4, right before his trip, Djokov tweeted, "I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!" He had received a medical exemption from the Victoria Government that was expected to shield him.
But what happened after he landed in Australia?
The Australian Border Force issued a statement saying that Djokovic failed to meet entry requirements in the country. Speaking about this, the country's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, "You need to have a medical exemption. He didn’t have a valid medical exemption. We make the call at the border, and that’s where it’s enforced.” Over a Twitter post, he said, "No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant."
What will happen next?
Djokovic has now decided to mount a legal challenge against his visa cancellation by Australia.
