Novak Djokovic’s visa revocation: Why is the tennis star being expelled from Australia? | Novak Djokovic

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Novak Djokovic flew to Melbourne Airport on Wednesday night to plan his Australian Open title defense. Instead, Scientist #1 is being held in a quarantine hotel and is due to be deported after an impressive series of events that lead to his visa being revoked.

So how did you get to this point?

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What happened at Melbourne Airport?

Djokovic arrived at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after a 15-hour flight from Dubai.

He was held under armed guard for several hours over concerns about his visa and exemption from vaccination requirements before the Australian Border Force announced that his visa had been revoked.

In a statement, the ABF said the tennis star “failed to provide appropriate evidence” to support being exempted from the requirement to double vaccination against Covid.

“The Australian Border Force will continue to ensure that those who reach our borders comply with our laws and entry requirements,” she said.

ABF can confirm that Mr Djokovic failed to provide adequate evidence to meet entry requirements to Australia, and his visa was subsequently revoked.

“Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa at entry or whose visa has been canceled will be detained and removed from Australia.”

But wasn’t that resolved before Djokovic got on the plane?

Obviously, Djokovic thought so, and so did Tennis Australia.

Djokovic, who declined to reveal his COVID vaccination status, said on Tuesday he had been given a medical exemption.

The Australian Tennis Foundation and the Victorian government confirmed that the exemption had been issued after a two-step process, apparently paving the way for him to compete in the Australian Open which begins on January 17.

What is a medical exemption?

In December, the Australian tennis organization released its Covid-19 vaccination policy for the Grand Slam in Melbourne, which included a process for players seeking medical waivers to enter Victoria without having to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

If the exemption is deemed to be in force in line with the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (Atagi) guidelines, the medical exemption will be submitted to the Australian Immunization Registry. Since the selected committee was blind, none of the participants would know the identity of any player seeking exemption.

The criteria listed by Atagi as acceptable grounds for medical exemption range from acute major medical conditions to any serious adverse event attributable to a previous dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

For those who have recently tested positive for Covid-19, it can be a temporary exemption from vaccination for six months. The reason for Djokovic’s dismissal is not clear.

Why did Djokovic offer?

We do not know the details of Djokovic’s request and he has not announced his vaccination status. All medical information provided as part of the review process is confidential.

However, Djokovic previously confirmed that he tested positive for Covid in May 2020.

So what is the problem with his visa?

It’s complicated and some details are still emerging, but it appears that Frontier Corps was not on board with the Victorian government’s operation.

While we don’t know the basis for the application of Djokovic’s medical exemption, Guardian Australia understands that the federal government has told Tennis Australia in writing more than once that a recent infection with Covid was not an acceptable reason not to get vaccinated fully if you wanted to quarantine. Free entry to Australia.

Atage has not endorsed the process set by the Victorian government or Tennis Australia, the Australian Guardian newspaper was told. No travel exemption was requested from the Border Forces and the Commonwealth was not involved.

So even though Djokovic had a competition medical exemption, the actual visa application was a matter of the federal government. This means that the decision rests with the Secretary of Home Affairs, Karen Andrews, or Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all. Nothing at all,” Morrison said.

Does anyone else apply for an exemption?

On Wednesday, Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tilly said 26 players and staff had applied for medical waivers but only “a handful” had been granted.

It was reported that three other players of the same type of visa and exemption were allowed to enter the country.

What did Djokovic say about vaccination?

While his vaccination status has not been made public, Djokovic said in April 2020 that he was “opposed to vaccination”.

“Personally, I am against vaccination and I don’t want someone to force me to get a vaccination so I can travel,” he said. But if it becomes mandatory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision.

“I have my own thoughts on this matter and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don’t know.”

What will happen now?

Novak Djokovic was transferred from a room at the airport to a hotel in Melbourne operated by the immigration department.

Support staff, including coach Goran Ivanishevich, who were traveling with him were allowed in without any problems.

Djokovic instructed his lawyer to appeal against the cancellation of the visa. An urgent hearing was held Thursday evening.

What was the political reaction?

Djokovic, who is no stranger to controversy and bad behaviour, has become a flashpoint among the Australian public due to the sense that different sets of rules apply to powerful people or celebrities.

Sensing the general mood, the government took the opportunity to speak firmly.

Although he previously said it was a matter of the Victorian government, Morrison was quick to claim the credibility of the decision on Twitter.

Mr. Djokovic’s visa has been revoked. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our boundaries. Nobody is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia, which has one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, and we remain vigilant.

— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 5, 2022

At a news conference on Thursday, Morrison also said it is the passenger’s duty to provide correct information when arriving at the border.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said that he spoke to the star of his country’s national team.

“I told Novak that all of Serbia is with him and our bodies are doing their best to see that the harassment of the best tennis player in the world will be ended immediately.

“In line with all rules of international law, Serbia will fight for Novak, truth and justice.”

The episode mentions other dramatic encounters between visiting celebrities and the Australian border control system.

In 2015, Barnaby Joyce, then Secretary of Agriculture, gave Johnny Depp 50 hours to remove his two dogs, Pistol and Boo, from Australia or warned they would be smothered. The Hollywood star had brought them home on a private jet while filming on the Gold Coast. Barnaby Joyce went on to threaten the actor with perjury for allegedly smuggling dogs into the country.

In 2014, when he was still immigration minister, Morrison also used his power to revoke artist Julian Blanc’s visa after a public outcry while trying to tour Australia.

How did the tennis world react?

Like Australian public opinion, the decision divided opinion. There was already limited sympathy for Djokovic, but the way the announcement was handled was not well received.

For those who ask, all players go through the same visa process overseen by the Australian Tennis Organization to play the Australian Open (non-Australians currently cannot enter). So the beggar thinks that Djokovic is the only player who got his visa and then it was revoked

– 🎗️ Paul McNamee (@PaulFMcNamee) January 5, 2022

Former Australian Open manager Paul McNamee was shocked by the way Djokovic was treated.

Earlier, other tennis players had been very mute about Djokovic’s situation. World number 1 Ash Barty in Australia responded to the Australian Open’s decision to grant him an exemption with this:

“I think it’s tough…I know how hard it is for Australians…but especially the Victorians have had a real hard trot over the last eighteen months and two years.

“I understand their frustration with this decision.”

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