Excluded from tournament Shahar Peer & Andy Ram/Image courtesy by wikimedia.org
We always relate sports to our European heritage. Thanks to the ancient Greek and Roman athletes we have great role models when it comes to perform sports in everyday life. But there is one thing that the wise and honourable athletes of the Roman Empire and Greek peninsula did. Keeping politics out of sports.
Most famously, in ancient Greece, all wars and battles have been stopped due to the Olympic Games. In the end it all came down to healthy rivalry and the aim of a place among the champions.
Tennis is a new discipline when compared to track and field or discus throwing. It is one of the most popular sports in the world with many followers and athletes. Unfortunately, now this politically untouched area has been hit by a scandal. In some countries this ancient model is not accepted.
Politics in Dubai
Dubai refused to let Shahar Peer, a female Israeli professional tennis player, into the country.
Many have no doubt that this obvious discirimination is related to the recent Israel-Gaza conflict of mid-December, as a small protest and sign of solidarity with the terrorist Hamas group. In Dubai tournament organisers although said that they only want to protect the player from possible attacks and have no political intention.
Fortunately, WTA and ATP reacted quickly and set a record fine $300,000 onto the organisers to prevent future discrimination. All rules set by the ATP and WTA have to be obeyed and if not done the tournament will be taken off the calendar.
Never again
The WTA Tour Chairman Larry Scott spoke of Shahar Peer “who was victimized by an unjust policy of discrimination by the UAE. These actions are also intended to send a clear message that our Tour will not tolerate discrimination of any kind and that we will never allow this situation to happen again, in UAE or elsewhere.”
Solidarity
Now more and more players show solidarity with Shahar Peer and already informed the public of their boycott of the Dubai tournament next year. Agnieszka and Urszula Radwańska, two sisters from Poland, but also Andy Roddick, are among many players that will not participate next year. But also TV stations and broadcasters declared their slidarity and took the tournament off air.
Andy Ram, another Israeli professional tennis player was also about to get his visa refused, but in the end under the pressure from the ATP, the player could participate in the tournament.
Dubai as liberal as it claims to be, have no political or diplomatic ties with Israel.
“hatred and racism should have no place in the “pure” world of sports”. Discrimination starts with raising our children in a way that they understand it is just wrong. Tennis is a international sport and we need to accept the fact that there are players from different ethnic backgrounds. What would you say, if we discriminate our own youngsters by setting rules that kids are not allowed to speak in their native language. We are enforcing juniors in the US with a “English only policy” and if they use a different language we penalize them. So for me racism and discrimination starts right at our own doorsteps. Please read further at: http://ustennisparents.wordpress.com/