Tennis players who want to participate in the Australian Open next year should get vaccinated against the corona virus. That says Minister Martin Pakula of the state of Victoria. “That gives the best chance of playing the Australian Open with minimal restrictions that will apply to this group.”
Officially, the organization of the Australian Open, the grand slam tournament to be played in Melbourne in January, and the authorities in Victoria have not yet said anything about the corona measures that the tennis players will have to deal with.
But based on anonymous government sources, an Australian newspaper recently reported that there will be more or less a vaccination obligation for the participants. This already applies to large groups of people in Victoria.
It is expected that tennis players who have been vaccinated against the corona virus will be given more freedom of movement. “That will be the subject of discussion between the national government and the federal states,” said Pakula.
Tournament director Craig Tiley is said to have resisted the demand for a long time. He was afraid that top players with doubts about mandatory vaccination, including world number 1 Novak Djokovic, would avoid the tournament.
“We are in talks with the Australian Tennis Federation and the Ministry of Health about the rules that will apply at the Australian Open,” said Pakula, minister for sports and major events in Victoria. Australia’s borders have been closed to foreigners for some time to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
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