Novak Djokovic denied entry to Australia, visa cancelled

Novak Djokovic’s probability to perform for a 10th Australian Open up title was thrown into limbo Thursday when the region denied him entry and canceled his visa due to the fact he unsuccessful to meet the specifications for an exemption to COVID-19 vaccination regulations.

The best-rated Djokovic announced on social media Tuesday that he experienced “exemption permission” and landed in Australia late Wednesday just after obtaining a medical exemption from the Victoria condition federal government that was predicted to protect him from the rigid vaccination rules in spot for this year’s initial key tennis tournament.

But border authorities did not accept the exemption. The Australian Border Pressure issued a statement declaring Djokovic unsuccessful to fulfill entry demands.

“The rule is very obvious,” Key Minister Scott Morrison explained to a news convention Thursday. “You have to have to have a clinical exemption. He did not have a valid health care exemption. We make the phone at the border, and that’s the place it is enforced.”

Well being Minister Greg Hunt mentioned the visa cancellation followed a overview of Djokovic’s medical exemption by border officers who appeared “at the integrity and the evidence driving it.”

He reported Djokovic was no cost to enchantment the final decision, “but if a visa is canceled, somebody will have to go away the state.”

The president of Djokovic’s indigenous Serbia blasted the “harassment” of

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Novak Djokovic Is Refused Entry Into Australia More than Vaccine Exemption

Novak Djokovic, the world’s No. 1-rated men’s tennis participant, traveled all working day Wednesday from Dubai to Australia, a journey that was supposed to commence his defense of the Australian Open singles championship.

On Thursday, he was explained to he would need to have to depart the nation, adhering to a 10-hour standoff with federal government officers at a Melbourne airport, where by he was held in a place right away over the validity of his visa and queries about the proof supporting a clinical exemption from a coronavirus vaccine. The exemption was supposed to let Djokovic, a 20-time Grand Slam event winner and one particular of the most important stars in sports, to contend in the Australian Open up even while he has not been vaccinated.

Djokovic did not quickly go away the place, and his group filed a lawful obstacle to the ruling on Thursday. A decide mentioned Djokovic would be permitted to remain in Australia at least right up until Monday as his legal professionals awaited a listening to. A spokesman for the tennis star did not straight away answer to requests for comment.

The chain of activities represented a startling turnabout for Djokovic, who in a little extra than 24 several hours went from acquiring unique, past-minute permission to enjoy in the Open up, to boarding an intercontinental flight, to fundamentally staying informed by the primary minister of Australia that he was not welcome in the region.

At a single position President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia even received associated, speaking with Djokovic and criticizing the Australian authorities for its therapy of his country’s most important sports star.

The pandemic has wreaked all way of havoc with sporting activities throughout the past two yrs. The Tokyo Summer season Olympics had been postponed for a 12 months. Major

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