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Novak Djokovic reportedly has Australian visa canceled and cannot participation in the Australian Open over paperwork error, vaccine exemption
Yahoo Sports ^ | 01/05/2022 | Liz Roscher and Chris Cwik

Posted on 01/05/2022 2:14:22 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Novak Djokovic had received a medical exemption to compete in the Australian Open without being vaccinated against COVID-19, but that same medical exemption could end up preventing him from entering the country.

Djokovic has reportedly been denied entry to Australia due to a visa mixup. According to the Times of London, a member of Djokovic's team applied for the wrong class of visa — one that doesn't apply to people who have gotten a medical exemption — and Djokovic's stuck at the airport without a way to enter the country.

VIA THE TIMES

But Djokovic is presently unable to proceed through passport control after a member of his support team made a critical mistake in requesting a sub-class of visa that does not apply to those who have received medical exemptions from a COVID-19 vaccine. The error had been discovered by the Australian border force while Djokovic was already traveling on a 14-hour commercial flight from Dubai to Melbourne.

After spending hours reviewing the situation, Australia intends to send Djokovic back home Thursday.

Could the Australian government help?

In a case like this, the government of Victoria, the state where the Australian Open takes place, could intervene and help the defending champion gain entry to the country. However, according to the Times of London, the Victorian government has refused to support the federal government's efforts to correct Djokovic's visa application. Acting Victorian sports minister Jaala Pulford appeared to confirm this on Wednesday, tweeting that she and her department will not be supporting Djokovic if he applies for a new visa in the appropriate class.

(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: australia; cannotparticipation; chriscwik; copypaste; danielandrews; djokovic; editorplease; homemadeheadline; immunity; kiddietabletennis; lizroscher; natural; naturalimmunity; nazis; novakdjokovic; vaccination; victoria; visa
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Public outcry over Djokovic's medical exemption

One factor that may be influencing the decision to take a hands-off approach with Djokovic's visa issues is the public response. Ninety percent of the Australian population has been vaccinated, and the country has continued to implement lockdowns and travel restrictions even as other nations have relaxed them.

So when Djokovic announced that he'd been granted a medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open without being vaccinated against COVID-19, the reaction from the Australian public was largely negative — especially because no explanation was given by him or Tennis Australia.
1 posted on 01/05/2022 2:14:22 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

NOTE: Djokovic has recovered from Covid many months ago.

But Australia does not recognize natural immunity as being equivalent to vaccination.


2 posted on 01/05/2022 2:15:24 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Given that anyone in the country can be locked up by the Australian government, I wouldn’t want to step foot in that country even if I were vaccinated.


3 posted on 01/05/2022 2:16:28 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I.m surprised they haven’t locked him up in one of thier Quarantine Camps and force fed him the JAB.


4 posted on 01/05/2022 2:18:16 PM PST by eyeamok (founded in cynicism, wrapped in sarcasm)
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To: CatOwner

“Given that anyone in the country can be locked up by the Australian government, I wouldn’t want to step foot in that country even if I were vaccinated.”

Amen. And why are they upset? They’ve been vaxxed so why the outcry? You just can’t fix stupid.


5 posted on 01/05/2022 2:22:09 PM PST by chuckb87
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To: SeekAndFind
Novak Djokovic reportedly has Australian visa canceled and cannot
participation in the Australian Open over paperwork error, vaccine
exemption

Another business is now farming out headline creation?

6 posted on 01/05/2022 2:23:07 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Democrats, fixing things that haven't been broken, so they don't work, for over 197 years.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Are they changing the name to the “Australian not so Open”? Will there be an asterisk next to the winner’s name for an almost victory?


7 posted on 01/05/2022 2:23:12 PM PST by ALPAPilot
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To: chuckb87

They don’t want anyone to have freedom or independent thought.


8 posted on 01/05/2022 2:24:23 PM PST by EEGator
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To: SeekAndFind

from a Murdoch piece behind paywall:

Novak Djokovic ‘held under police guard’ as entry into Australia in limbo

Novak Djokovic has landed in Australia but faced an extraordinary drama at Tullamarine Airport threatening to end his grand slam hopes.

Acting Sports and Major Events Minister Jaala Pulford tweeted at 11.14pm that the Victorian Government would not support Djokovic’s application.

The world number one touched down on an Emirates flight from Dubai into Melbourne shortly after 11pm Wednesday night AEST.

But as of 5am, Djokovic still hadn’t passed through passport control.

His father Srdjan reportedly told a Serbian radio station that his son was “isolated in a room” at the airport without his entourage or mobile phone.

“Novak is currently in a room which no one can enter,” Srdjan Djokovic, told the B92 internet portal. “In front of the room are two policemen.”

Srdjan later released an explosive statement to Serbian media.

“I have no idea what’s going on, they’re holding my son captive for five hours,” he said. “This is not a fight for the libertarian world, this is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world!

“If they don’t let him go in half an hour, we will gather on the street, this is a fight for everybody.”

A federal government source told The Age there were issues regarding the documentation required to prove the reason for Djokovic’s exemption, which is required from unvaccinated people. Djokovic is believed to be relying on the fact that he has had Covid within the past six months however the source said it was unclear if that was sufficient to secure entry under federal guidelines.

Earlier the Victorian Government tweeted saying it was rejecting Djokovic’s entry because he was on a work visa which requires the support of the state government.

“The Federal Government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia,” she said.

“We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam.

“We’ve always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions a matter for doctors.”

However a Border Force official reportedly denied the Victorian Government’s claim that he was being held up because of a visa issue.

“ABF did not request Victorian government support a visa. ABF reached [out] to the Victorian government to validate their public statements about their support for his entry, and whether Victoria had further information related to his medical exemption documentation,” she told The Age.

Border Force officials have the discretion to allow Djokovic into the country in spite of the Victorian government move. However his fate is still unclear.

A government source told the Herald Sun “they may have to send him or put him in immigration detention”.


FakeNewsMSM has built hysteria upon hysteria over Djokovic, but have ignored other exemptions granted to competing tennis players (number not known as yet).

even the Djok is not popular like Rog and Rafa rubbish.

the Prime Minister inserted himself as Federal elections are only months away and he is trailing in the polls.

at least the public now know there are adverse effects than can allow exemptions; media never told the public that either.


9 posted on 01/05/2022 2:25:16 PM PST by MAGAthon
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To: SeekAndFind

The australians I know are either losers, desperate to be part of the liberal/global sophisticate, or they are good, down to earth country folk. Most are the former theses days.


10 posted on 01/05/2022 2:25:40 PM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: DoughtyOne

Click the link.

Thats not the published headline.


11 posted on 01/05/2022 2:28:10 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo (The best things in life aren't things.)
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To: SeekAndFind

To Hell with Australia.


12 posted on 01/05/2022 2:30:28 PM PST by llevrok (Pronouns: Me/myself/& I)
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo

Thanks. You’re right.


13 posted on 01/05/2022 2:32:47 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Democrats, fixing things that haven't been broken, so they don't work, for over 197 years.)
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo

Yes you’re right.

Could have been at some point, but it sure isn’t now.

Maybe someone else there caught it.


14 posted on 01/05/2022 2:33:42 PM PST by DoughtyOne (Democrats, fixing things that haven't been broken, so they don't work, for over 197 years.)
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To: SeekAndFind

So, what if the Australian government decides to hold Djokovic indefinitely? His father claims he is isolated to a room, without a cell phone or means of communication, with two officers stationed outside this room.


15 posted on 01/05/2022 2:37:05 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: MAGAthon

If Djokovic is thrown out of this fascist hellhole, I would refuse to watch this Australian-Not-So-Open and would call on my fellow tennis fans to do the same. Let’s Go, Australian Government!


16 posted on 01/05/2022 2:41:28 PM PST by exinnj
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To: CatOwner

If the other tennis players would all notify that they are withdrawing from the event...


17 posted on 01/05/2022 2:45:46 PM PST by PilotDave (No, really, you just can't make this stuff up!!)
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To: SeekAndFind
IIRC he’s a citizen of Serbia (or some other former Soviet satellite state). The Foreign Minister of his home country should demand a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister to discuss this. And he should do it publicly!
18 posted on 01/05/2022 2:46:25 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Balloting)
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To: PilotDave
If the other tennis players would all notify that they are withdrawing from the event...

The problem with that idea is most of the athletes would probably side with Australia than someone who won't get vaccinated.

19 posted on 01/05/2022 2:48:07 PM PST by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: CatOwner

Yep. Australia is crazy. Kinda like Germany under the Nazis. I’ll wait until the whole covid thing settles down.


20 posted on 01/05/2022 2:48:39 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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