sports

Djokovic entangles sponsors in Australian Open vax uproar

5 Comments
By TALI ARBEL and KELVIN CHAN

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The sponsors know this will blow over, as they see the whole affair for what it is: political grandstanding by the Australian government trying to plug a leaky narrative that's failing in the face of food and test kit shortages as numbers of sick people stay low.

And now the government is implicitly acknowledging the legal case for deporting Djokovic is crumbling, so they have to ramp up the fear, "othering" and character assassination:

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/australia-declares-djokovic-a-risk-to-civil-order-and-public-health-20220114-p59oex.html

The furious debate that had engulfed Djokovic for the past 10 days – whether a recent bout of COVID-19 provided him with a genuine exemption to travel to Australia without being vaccinated – has been abandoned by the government without Mr Hawke even reading Djokovic’s extensive submissions on the question.

Instead, the case is now headed to the Federal Court and will be argued on dramatically new grounds at a public hearing before Justice David O’Callaghan at 10.15am Saturday.

Mr Hawke’s detailed reasons for his decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa for a second time since his arrival in Australia late on January 5, revealed by this masthead, portray the nine-time Australian Open winner as a menace to both public health and public order.

The minister describes Djokovic as a “high profile unvaccinated individual” who has publicly indicated his opposition to getting the jab and demonstrated an “apparent disregard” for basic COVID rules such as isolating after a positive test.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Djokovic is caught in an unresponsive, dictatorial system. The immigration minister, under the guise of national security, has been given almost unlimited powers to play with refugees’ lives; this has been colloquially referred to as “God Power.”

In Australia, refugees are unprotected by the law and, at the same time, are victims of the law. History shows that the media and public may pay attention for a moment, but once the celebrity spotlight moves on, the public will likely forget about the refugees and the systematic torture will go on. This cruel and dangerous cycle will only end when the people of Australia use their power to halt this systematic violence.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

So Federer earns 3 times as much in endorsements than Djokovic? It should be no surprise.

Roger doesn’t smash balls into linesmen. Roger doesn’t throw his staff under the bus when caught lying on the entry card that “they” forgot he didn’t travel anywhere else before entering Australia. Roger doesn’t go around to pubic events even after knowingly testing positive. Roger doesn’t declare that prayer will purify toxic water. And Roger still lives in his home country, unlike a certain Serb player who lives in tax-free Monaco.

Two great tennis players but one player has class, the other has none - hence the huge earnings difference from sponsors. Australia has every right to kick out liars who care nothing of other’s health. Game, set and match!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Minster for Border Force and Minster for Immigration has god power which is how describe by the media. The Morrison Government have been telling the whole world that any non vaccinated person will not be allow entry or issued a visa. This quote has been plastered on the back page of every major newspapers world wide for the last 3 months. Yet these Minsters who have God power still issued 5 tennis competitors Djokovic included with visa only to kick 4 of them out of Australia after being in the Australian community for over two week before they made their move to kick them out. No government even the Morrison Government can be that inept but the Morrison Government had to prove me wrong or it is a complete set up. I don’t care about a rich sport persons but what I do care about is a rule base ordered society being broke down by ineptitude or vote winning. What a totally embarrassment. Plus it took 5 days to decide even when you have so called God Power. This term “God Power”was given to these Minsters by the op-Ed written by a journalist for the Washington post no me.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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