ISRAEL: TENNIS - Israeli tennis association condemn UAE's decision not to let Israeli player enter country for tournament

Record ID: 396631

  • Title: ISRAEL: TENNIS - Israeli tennis association condemn UAE's decision not to let Israeli player enter country for tournament
  • Date: 18th February 2009
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (FEBRUARY 17, 2009) (REUTERS) ISRAELI TENNIS ASSOCIATION HONORARY PRESIDENT DAVID HARNIK WORKING AT HIS DESK VARIOUS OF HARNIK WORKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI TENNIS ASSOCIATION HONORARY PRESIDENT DAVID HARNIK, SAYING "There were strong condemnations both from Larry Scott, the CEO of the WTA and from Francesco Ricci Bitti, the president of the ITF,
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVACEE68JTLEIGGMD3EDSQSO77H4
  • Story Text: Israeli Tennis Association on Tuesday (February 17) condemned the decision of United Arab Emirates not to grant an entrance visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer, for an upcoming $2 million championship taking place in Dubai.
    David Harnik, the Honorary President of the Israeli Tennis Association, welcomed the recent criticism levelled at the UAE, which came from international tennis authorities.

    "There were strong condemnations both from Larry Scott, the CEO of the WTA and from Francesco Ricci Bitti, the president of the ITF, and they both specified that they wouldn't allow mixing politics with sport. So we do hope that Andy Ram will be allowed to get into Dubai and take part in the ATP event," Harnik told Reuters in Tel Aviv.
    Peer on Monday told Italian television network RAI that she regrets the mixture of sports and politics.
    Harnik said that he doesn't understand why Peer was denied a visa, and hopes the UAE decision would not set a precedent.

    "I don't see any problem. It's a fact that Shahar Peer participated in the tournament in Qatar last year. This year they decided not to let her get in, and we hope that it will be a precedent that will not be followed in the future by other countries," Harnik said.
    WTA rules state that no host country can deny a player the right to compete at any event on the tour for which she has qualified by ranking.
    The Dubai event is one of the most prestigious on the WTA Tour and this week features every player from the world's top 10 except the injured Nadia Petrova.
    The episode could be replicated next week since Israel's doubles specialist Andy Ram has applied for a visa to compete in the men's Dubai tournament starting on Monday. The ATP said it would review the status of the event once Ram is notified about his application.
    Like most Arab countries, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with Israeli and Israeli citizens are routinely denied entry.
    Organisers of the event said on Tuesday that they feared local tennis fans would have boycotted the women's championships if Peer had been allowed to compete this week.
    Organisers also cited concerns for Peer's well being, and boycotts over the full tournament.
    The three-week Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed 1,300 Palestinians and 14 Israelis, caused deep anger around the Arab and Muslim worlds. It ended in January.
    A WTA board meeting in Indian Wells next month will discuss the tournament's future. Peer, ranked 45th in the world, backed the WTA's decision to allow the tournament to continue without her this week.
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