Djokoviæ martyr of anti-vaccines. Disgrace of Australian authorities

It’s been a long time since there was such a gigantic international sports scandal as we see around Novak Djokovic, who was to play at the Australian Open. A scandal that did not have to happen at all, and for which the rulers of Australia are primarily responsible.

Australians initially: Get vaccinated or you don’t play

In October, the organizers of the Australian Open, the state of Victoria (where Melbourne is the venue for the tournament) and central authorities began sending signals that only fully vaccinated tennis players would be allowed to participate in the next edition of the event. On December 9, the tournament boss, Craig Tiley, assured: – There will be no exceptions, everyone who wants to play must be vaccinated.

A few days later, the Australians introduced a gate for the unvaccinated – the so-called “medical exception”. Including:

• “serious adverse event” related to first dose
• acute medical condition
• inflammatory heart disease (in the last six months).
• pregnancy

Djokovic’s entry caused a storm

On Tuesday, Novak announced on Instagram: “I have a fantastic time with my loved ones, and today I’m going on a trip to Australia. With a special permit.” This means it has been classified as a “medical exception”. His post sparked a wave of comments.

The Australians immediately issued a statement: “Djoković applied for a sick leave, which was granted after a rigorous health review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts. Professionals assessed all data to see if they met Australian Vaccine Advisory Group guidelines.” The state authorities and the tournament organizers gave their consent to the tennis player’s performance.

Djoković arrived in Melbourne on Thursday but was not cleared through the airport. While the Serb was still on his way to Australia, Djoković must prove that he has a real medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination when he lands in Australia or will be on the next flight home.

Djoković landed and spent several hours at the airport. He was questioned, he was asked to provide evidence on the basis of which he was granted a sick leave. In the end, Australian central authorities announced that Novak Djokovic’s visa was rejected and that the tennis player is to be deported shortly.

How could this have happened?

How is it possible that Djoković was allowed to play in the tournament first, and when he arrived in Australia he found he was not allowed to enter the country? There are two options:

• there was no flow of information between central, state and tournament organizers
• there was a flow of information, but no one predicted that allowing the Serb to participate in the tournament would cause so much excitement

Both solutions are embarrassing for Australians. The first assumes that although Australia had been preparing for the Grand Slam tournament for several months, it did not actually make preparations. The flow of information is the basis of all cooperation. The more so that the case concerns Novak Djokovic, who has been saying for months that “he does not know if he will get vaccinated, it is his private business and he does not want to explain it”.

Suppose in this case the flow of information would be preserved. The authorities of the state of Victoria and the organizers of the tournament decide on admitting the Serb to the event. What is the central government doing? He should block such a decision already then, and not allow the tennis player to come and organize a cheap cabaret in front of the whole world.

It’s hard to believe that Australia’s central government did not know that Djoković was admitted to the tournament. The more so because earlier individual politicians of the Australian government were eager to comment on his possible arrival. And now suddenly they wouldn’t know anything? This leads to a solution that assumes that the entire action with the arrest of the player at the airport is an attempt by the Australian government to save its own image.

It is as if the rulers of the country, the state and the tournament organizers have not realized how the world will perceive the award of Novak Djokovic the status of “medical exception”. And since public opinion, including Australian opinion, exploded with anger, it was necessary to find a way to prevent the leader of the ranking from entering the country.

Australia as an example? More like an anti-example

How is it possible that the documents underlying Djokovic’s dismissal were sufficient for two independent expert panels, and insufficient for Australian politicians led by Prime Minister Morrison? The head of government argued on Twitter: “Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. Nobody stands above these rules. Our strong border policy was crucial for Australia, which has one of the lowest COVID death rates in the world. We continue to do so. vigilance”. However, this is only a cheap showpiece, because in this case it was the Australian authorities that led to chaos.

I am amused by comments that Australia is an example of how to deal with situations such as with Djokovic. In fact, it is a total anti-example. It was possible to prevent such a story from happening. It was enough not to introduce the dubious institution of a “medical exception”, to maintain the original assumption that the tournament was only for the vaccinated. And even if you admit the unvaccinated in exceptional circumstances, do it transparently. And not as in the case of Djokovic – a few days before the tournament, without giving any reasons for dismissal, and the world learned about everything not from Australians, but from a tennis player from Instagram. It was enough to introduce clear rules and stick to them, announcing every case of “medical exception”.

The government’s disgrace distracts from Djokovic’s views

Australians did not make “Australian Open” but “Australian Closed” from their tournament. And from Novak Djokovic – rather unintentionally – the martyr of all anti-vaccineists. This move has just gained a powerful leader, one of the best athletes in the world, according to many the best tennis player in history. Each of the opponents of vaccination will be able to refer to the case of Djoković, to show how the Serb was treated in Melbourne. I don’t think that was the case.

The compromising mistakes of the Australian authorities also distracted from Djokovic himself. The Serb has long ceased to be “just a tennis player”. He is also an authority and a signpost for many today. The leader of the ranking is aware of this and promotes various pseudoscientific theories, such as influencing water by means of emotions.

Djoković should adapt and vaccinate before departing to Australia, as the vast majority of tennis players do. He would give an example that despite his own convictions, he respects the law and regulations. However, if a wicket in the form of a “medical exception” awaited him, no one should be surprised that a man with such views wanted to take advantage of it.

The funniest thing is that after his deportation, Djoković can reapply for a visa. According to the announcements of the tournament authorities, anyone who reaches Australia by January 9 will be able to take part in the Grand Slam event. The Australian Open starts on January 17th. It is already known that it will be a unique edition of the tournament.