Original title: Getting back the visa is still involved in violation of Djokovic’s Australian Open road shrouded in fog
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has won his case against the Australian federal government to have his visa revoked when he entered Australia for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus. But whether he can stay legally until the Australian Open from January 17-30 is still unknown.
The media dug deep into Djokovic’s recent travels and compared court documents to find that the world’s number one tennis player did not truthfully declare his itinerary within 14 days before entering the country, and he still did not wear a mask to participate in public events after he tested positive for the new crown virus.
Djokovic explained the matter on the 12th, admitting that his entry declaration materials stated that “no travel within 14 days before entry” was false. Media previously discovered that he had been in Serbia and Spain during those 14 days.
However, Djokovic claimed that the declaration form was filled out by his brokerage team, and the “wrong check” option was “human error, not intentional.”
The Australian court ruled on the 10th that Djokovic’s visa to enter Australia was reinstated, and he was able to leave a Melbourne quarantine hotel housing illegal immigrants. Previously, he had been there for 4 nights. Djokovic expressed his gratitude to his supporters and prepared to start training for the match, saying that he “just hopes to have the opportunity to compete with the best players in the world”. But the storm is far from over.
After the court ruling, the prime ministers of the two countries exchanged views on the matter on the phone, but did not reach a clear conclusion. The Australian side said that Australia’s immigration minister is considering whether to use his personal powers to revoke Djokovic’s visa again. Once deported, Djokovic will face a three-year ban from entering Australia.
According to documents disclosed in the court hearing, on December 16 last year, Djokovic tested positive for the new crown virus in Serbia, but images on social media showed that he was in the Serbian capital Belgrade the next day. Activities, taking pictures with young players and not wearing masks. He later explained that he was asymptomatic at the time, received a negative antigen test before the event, and did not know the positive result of the nucleic acid test until the end of the event that day. But he still did not isolate at home on the 18th, but accepted an interview with a French media and took pictures.
He admitted his mistake in the latest statement issued on the 12th of this month, saying that “in retrospect, it was a mistake of judgment.”
On December 22 last year, Djokovic was tested again for the new crown and the result was negative. On January 4 this year, he announced on his social media account that he had obtained a “medical exemption” granted by the Australian side to exempt entry from vaccines and was about to go to Australia to compete. Tennis Australia later confirmed the news, saying the decision to grant a “medical exemption” was made after “several scrutiny by two independent medical panels”.
Djokovic then flew to Spain, then transferred to Australia, arrived at Melbourne Airport late on the 5th, and was blocked by Australian border officials from entering the country on the grounds that he had not completed the entire vaccination in accordance with the Australian epidemic prevention regulations, and the medical exemption certificate was invalid. On the 6th, he was told that his visa had been revoked and he had to leave the country on the same day.
Djokovic subsequently filed a complaint. After two rounds of hearings, the court found that the Australian federal government failed to give Djokovic sufficient notice of the visa revocation decision and did not give enough time to prepare response materials, and the revocation of the visa was “unreasonable”. .
The Australian Open is scheduled to hold a lottery ceremony on the 13th to decide the order of the players. As the world’s No. 1 men’s singles seed, whether Djokovic can play is still an “unsolved case”.
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