So Novak gets a medical exemption to play in Oz

[Calahonda52]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/tennis/2022/01 ... exemption/

Complet bo**ox

[kadman]

Well that confirms the belief that there are no rules for celebs, and draconian ones for the rest of us plebs.
This will surely wake up some to the real deal.

I must look for an exemption now myself, as I have a family member who has had some adverse cardiac effects after the second jab.
It will be interesting to see what answers I get.

[isha]

Delighted for him. He is a very public global figure who has bravely stood up for bodily autonomy and the civil right not to be compelled into participation in medical research or to have anything injected into one's body that one does not wish to voluntarily take. I hope this exemption will lead to wider exemptions for all people who do not wish to be mandated to take genetic therapies to keep their employment in Australia (and then we take over the world...)
Hope he continues to be awesome in all possible ways.

[isha]

The Novak Djokovic who is ranked no.1 tennis player in the world, and worth 220 million? LOL as the kids say.

[schmittel]

Good for him, standing up for his principles.

[DeletedUser]

Absolute fcuking disgraceful call.

The anti science freak should be told to FRO.

[Scotty]

Not going down well in Oz this afternoon.

He can expect to receive a frosty reception from crowds when he takes to the court Down Under.

Pundits have slammed the fact Djokovic has been given an exemption to enter the country, arguing it completely goes against the restrictions Australians have faced during the pandemic and flies in the face of soaring cases numbers.

“Reckon they’ve misread the room on the Novak decision,” Channel 7 sports reporter Ryan Daniels tweeted.

TV and radio host Andy Maher said: “Australians have been denied for two years, but this bloke — who’s taken extraordinary liberties in the face of the coronavirus — gets his exemption. Novak Djokovic is an all-time great, but he ain’t essential.”

Sports journalist Jon Ralph labelled the decision “farcical”.

“People will be going to bed right now to get up at 5am to do the right thing to get into testing queues for PCR results they won’t get for six days and will quarantine anyway,” he said.

“How bloody galling to see Novak get an exemption.”

Football writer Samantha Lewis added: “Everybody attending the Australian Open has a patriotic duty to boo Djokovic for the entirety of his stay.

“This is an obscene decision and organisers should be ashamed of themselves.”

AAP reporter Karen Sweeney tweeted: “Novak Djokovic is about to find out what it’s like to be despised by all of Australia. We’re all nice and laid back until we’re not.”

The Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne on Monday 17 January.

[marhay70]

Oh good, another vax v anti-vax thread.

[schmittel]

Not going down well in Oz this afternoon.

I get why people are upset but don't see the sense in blaming Djokovic. Surely it is the Australian Open decision makers that should be booed.

They said you can't play unless you prove your vaccination status. Djokovic said I am not willing to do that even if it means I don't play.

Australian Open blinked first and said we're not prepared to lose the reigning champion, we'll make an exception for you so.

What's the problem with Djokovic? Did he specifically argue/ask for an exemption because he's special/reigning champion or something?

[Scotty]

I get why people are upset but don't see the sense in blaming Djokovic. Surely it is the Australian Open decision makers that should be booed.

They said you can't play unless you prove your vaccination status. Djokovic said I am not willing to do that even if it means I don't play.

Australian Open blinked first and said we're not prepared to lose the reigning champion, we'll make an exception for you so.

What's the problem with Djokovic? Did he specifically argue/ask for an exemption because he's special/reigning champion or something?

Yep I'd agree. Apparently Djokovic is not the only one in the tournament who's been granted an exemption.

It seems there are two grounds to grant the exemption, either on medical grounds or in the 'national interest'. His extension is not believed to be on medical grounds so it's presumed him playing in the Australian Open is in the national interest. I think that will really antagonise Australian non Djokovic fans! Australia has had some of the most stringent Covid restriction rules in the world and here's a guy being shipped in to play tennis! I'd be fuming!

[Scotty]

Seems some of the other players are none too impressed either.

[schmittel]

Seems some of the other players are none too impressed either.

According to that Guardian article chief exec of Tennis Australia says he applied for and received a bona fide medical exemption, nothing to do with him being Novak Djokovic.

Tiley said it was up to Djokovic to decide whether to disclose the reason the exemption was granted. The Atagi guidelines state exemptions can be given for those with acute medical conditions, including undergoing major surgery, those who have had Covid-19 in the past six months or have had a serious adverse event attributed to a previous Covid vaccine dose.

In fairness it's possible he has some sort of valid medical reason to not get vaccinated and prefers to keep his medical issues to himself. On the surface it all seems perfectly reasonable, both from Tennis Australia's and Djokovic's point of view.

I'm as guilty as the next man for jumping to the conclusion that the exemption was special circumstances due to who he is, but having read the article I think all parties should enjoy the presumption of innocence!

[Berties_Horse]

Djokovic shouldn't consider himself beyond reproach. Are the Australian protocols draconian? Yes, but if he was an ordinary joe then the hammer would come down on him like the rest of us mere mortals. Consider this, a friend of mine flew London to Perth last month to see his daughter. He didn't satisfy the rather severe testing protocols and was bounced to Darwin to spend a fortnight in a glorified internment camp. Reminded him of the movie 'Stalag 17' apparently. And lost thousands in non-refundable bookings with zero recourse because "well, you know, Covid mate".

In the midst of all these complications Djokovic glides in like a sainted untouchable among the diseased lepers. The optics are rather terrible, reeks of pure arrogance (which befits his character despite immense talent). Guaranteed a hot reception from hostile Aussies throughout the fortnight, don't be surprised if he cries foul and suffers a meltdown. Surely the impetus to reach number 21 and break free of Fed/Nadal would have been motivation enough to get jabbed. Anyway, he can seemingly bend the tennis authorities to his will and blithely swerve government guidelines so all is hunky dory in Novak's gilded universe.

[isha]

It's not Novak's fault that things are so weird now. He is pursuing his right to choose.
There are 10s of millions of people who do not want trial gene therapy injections.
There are huge numbers who want them but also support bodily autonomy for other people.
And any people who believe others should effectively be forced to take injections will just have to eventually quit that freaky weirdness.

[Peregrinus]

Yep I'd agree. Apparently Djokovic is not the only one in the tournament who's been granted an exemption.

It seems there are two grounds to grant the exemption, either on medical grounds or in the 'national interest'. His extension is not believed to be on medical grounds so it's presumed him playing in the Australian Open is in the national interest. I think that will really antagonise Australian non Djokovic fans! Australia has had some of the most stringent Covid restriction rules in the world and here's a guy being shipped in to play tennis! I'd be fuming!

The official statement says that Djokovic has been granted an exemption on medical grounds, and apparently the exemption was granted after review by two teams of doctors, neither of whom knew that it related to Djokovic (though they did know that the application for exemption was made by Tennis Australia).

Reportedly, Tennis Australia made 26 applications for exemptions in connection with the tournament; all were handled anonymously; only "a handful" were granted, but Djokovich was one of them.

[Calahonda52]

RE Reportedly, Tennis Australia made 26 applications for exemptions in connection with the tournament; all were handled anonymously; only "a handful" were granted, but Djokovich was one of them

A handful were in brown envelopes, the rest white

[marhay70]

Not that it interests me in the slightest but just because I've already contributed here. It appears the Aussie Federal Government might have thrown a spanner in the works by saying that nobody associated with the tournament will be allowed to enter the country unless vaccinated or they can show conclusive proof that they can't be. It'll be interesting to see exactly what constitutes "conclusive truth" and whether the Aussie Government's assessment agrees with the tennis authorities.
love a good row, especially among the prima donnas of professional sport.

[Scotty]

There are 10s of millions of people who do not want trial gene therapy injections.

Your veil has slipped, again. "Trial gene therapy' is a phrase often used by antivaxxers. The vaccines are not gene therapy nor are they on trial or experimental.

And any people who believe others should effectively be forced to take injections will just have to eventually quit that freaky weirdness.

All well and good until an individuals right to bodily autonomy becomes a health risk to the rest of society. The health and right to safety of the greater community will always trump an individuals rights.

[Scotty]

The official statement says that Djokovic has been granted an exemption on medical grounds.

Yes I read that alright, after I had posted.

I can see why the Australian public would be so infuriated though. They've had some of the most draconian restrictions in the world with their zero covid attempts and now there letting people in to play tennis.

Djokovic is getting slatted on social media. I don't blame him for what's happened but I think most sports athletes would have withdrawn voluntarily by now under such controversy.

[isha]

He has been refused entry for the moment due to visa not being suitable for medical exemption.

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/1 ... isa-issues

Hope he manages to sort it out

[Hairy-Joe]

I can't see him playing. The Aussies don't take any messing when it comes to their borders and the required paperwork, no matter who you are.

Also, his behaviour last year pissed off a lot of Aussies.

[JONJO THE MISER]

Looks like he is being questioned in a interview room by Aussie immigration at the moment, this usually means that he won't be allowed in.

[schmittel]

He has been refused entry for the moment due to visa not being suitable for medical exemption.

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/1 ... isa-issues

Hope he manages to sort it out

After all the furore it's no surprise the lads at the airport decided granting him entry was above their pay grade:

But having landed in Melbourne late on Wednesday evening, the 20-time grand slam winner was reportedly attempting to enter the country on a visa that does not permit medical exemptions for being unvaccinated, and when Border Force contacted government officials in Victoria to sponsor the visa, they refused to do so.

Government officials, as is the way these days, took to twitter:



At first glance I read that tweet as The Federer Government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia

As much as I support his stance on vaccines, as a Federer fan I am hoping he does not play. I'll be rooting for Djokovic to say stuff your tournament and your vaccine rules!

[Scotty]

It seems he's there on a work visa and medical exemptions can't be granted on a work visa.

Apparently his exemption is based on nothing more than he recently recovered from Covid but now that he's in Australia and being asked to prove this, he's having difficulty doing so.

He should do the decent thing and go home. He's causing an awful lot of upset with people who have made huge sacrifices throughout the year.

[schmittel]

He’s been sent packing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-59889522