The Australian Border Force (ABF) canceled the visa of tennis player Renata Voracova, 38, and detained her at the same immigration hotel as the world’s number one, Novak Djokovic, in Melbourne.
The information was released this Friday (7) by Australian media and confirmed by the government of the Czech Republic.
Voracova, who currently occupies the 81st position in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) doubles ranking, was told by ABF officials that she should leave the country. She intended to play in the Australian Open, starting on January 17, and had already played a preparatory tournament in Melbourne.
The Czech government issued a protest note and said it would seek more information about the case, but said the athlete did not intend to appeal to remain in Australia, as Djokovic did. “Renata Voracova has decided to withdraw from the tournament and leave Australia due to limited training possibilities,” the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The tennis player would have entered with a vaccine exemption granted by Tennis Australia, organizer of the Australian Open, and by the state government of Victoria, based on the fact that she had been infected with Covid-19 in the last six months.
According to the Australian press, this would be the same claim made by Djokovic. Neither tennis players nor local authorities gave details about the episodes.
Earlier this week, the organization confirmed that it had received 26 vaccine-waiver requests from around 3,000 participants, including players, coaches, referees and other professionals. The number of exemptions accepted was not disclosed.
The twist of the Djokovic episode raised the question of whether there might not be other similar cases among people who had already entered the country. Australian Border Force officials confirmed on Thursday that they were investigating the situation of yet another athlete, possibly Voracova, and a referee who also presented waivers granted by Tennis Australia.
Voracova’s visa cancellation adds pressure to the Australian Open and the Victorian government, which may have given players incorrect information about the requirements to enter the country without being vaccinated. In addition, they approved their exemptions with criteria different from those used by the federal government.
The Age had access to two letters from Australian health authorities forwarded to the tournament’s organizers in November that apparently went unheeded.
On 18 November, Lisa Schofield of the federal Department of Health wrote to Australian Open director Craig Tiley that “people who have already had Covid-19 and have not received a dose of the vaccine are not considered fully vaccinated.” According to her, such people “would not be approved for entry without quarantine, regardless of whether they received foreign vaccination exemptions.”
Greg Hunt, Minister of Health, reinforced the message to Tiley on 29 November. “I can confirm that people who have contracted Covid-19 within six months and seek to enter Australia from abroad, and have not received two doses of a vaccine approved in the country, are not considered fully vaccinated.”
Under Australian law, states and territories may issue exemptions from vaccination requirements to enter their jurisdictions. However, the federal government controls international borders and can challenge such exemptions.
The Herald Sun newspaper published this Friday a statement sent by Tennis Australia to players on December 7th. It shows that the entity conveyed the message that the infection by Covid-19 in the last six months would indeed be a valid reason for the exemption, as long as it is accompanied by documents attesting to this.
The Victorian government stated that TA did not inform them of this story development. The organization has not commented on the case since Craig Tiley defended the exemption granted to Djokovic on Wednesday, when the Serb was on his way to Australia.
The judgment that will define the situation of the number 1 tennis player in the world is scheduled for Monday (10).
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