Djokovic's visa to Australia was revoked again 83% of the population supported the government's attempt to repatriate him

Djokovic's visa to Australia was again revoked

Shen Min

The Australian federal government revoked the entry visa of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic on the 14th, on the grounds that the male singles player, who is ranked first in the world and planned to participate in the Australian Open, did not receive the new crown vaccine as required, posing a health and safety risk to the Australian public.

This is the second time in a week that the Australian federal government has made a decision to revoke Djokovic's visa, and the previous decision was overturned by the Federal Circuit court in Melbourne on grounds of improper process. This time, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke invoked the provisions of the Immigration Act and used "personal discretion" to revoke the visa.

In his statement, Hawke said the starting point for the decision to revoke Djokovic's visa was to maintain public health and good order, "and it is in the public interest to do so." Before making the decision, he "carefully considered" the information provided by Djokovic, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Border Guard.

He stressed that the Australian Federal Government is "strongly committed to protecting Australia's borders, particularly in areas where COVID-19 is at stake".

According to Reuters, according to Australia's Immigration Act, Dzokovic will be repatriated after the visa is revoked. Unless there are "force majeure factors affecting Australian interests", Djokovic will face a 3-year ban on entry into Australia.

Djokovic's legal team may appeal again, otherwise the Australian Open "nine champions" will have a flaw in his career. A person close to Djokovic's team revealed that the team is considering countermeasures.

However, even if the court accepts the complaint and makes Djokovic temporarily not be repatriated, it will be difficult to make a ruling before the opening day of the Australian Open on the 17th. The Australian Open held a draw ceremony on the 13th, and Djokovic is scheduled to play against a Serbian compatriot in the first round next week, and now it seems that it will not be able to proceed as scheduled.

Australia's "Time" reported that the federal government has asked Djokovic to interview immigration officials on the 15th, and until then he can be exempted from detention.

Since Djokovic flew to Melbourne airport late at night on January 5 and was blocked by border guards, the storm has experienced many ups and downs, causing a lot of waves in the sports world, diplomatic circles and even public opinion.

The Australian federal government announced on the 6th that it would revoke Djokovic's visa and ordered him to leave the country on the same day. Djokovic's side appealed successfully, and the Melbourne Federal Circuit overturned the decision to revoke the visa on the 10th, and Djokovic was able to leave a local quarantine hotel where illegal immigrants were placed and resume free activities.

Djokovic has been infected with the coronavirus twice, but has made statements against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations. Earlier this month, he announced on social media that he had obtained a certificate of "medical exemption" from the Australian side and could go to Australia without the new crown vaccine.

According to court documents disclosed by the media, the Australian Tennis Association and the government of Victoria, where the Australian Open is held, gave Djokovic a "medical exemption" on the basis of his proof that he had "contracted and recovered from the coronavirus within six months of entering the country", but the federal government said it had previously informed the Australian Open that this standard did not apply to foreign players.

Media reports also pointed out other mistakes of Djokovic, including not consciously isolating after learning of the positive results of the new crown test last month, still accepting media interviews, and not truthfully reporting the trip in the past 14 days when entering Australia.

In his latest statement, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison endorsed the Immigration Minister's decision: "Australians have made many sacrifices in this outbreak and they have the right to expect that the fruits of these sacrifices will be protected." ”

A news corp poll showed that 83 percent of respondents supported the government's attempt to repatriate Djokovic. However, the opposition Labour Party criticized the incident as highlighting the "incompetence" of the Morrison-led government, questioning "why did the visa approved in the first place if Djokovic did not get vaccinated?" The President and Prime Minister of Serbia also asked the Australian side for explanations. (End) (Xinhua News Agency feature)