A women’s tennis player has had her visa revoked just two days after she played a warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open, according to media sources.
It is understood that Renata Voracova was detained by the Australian Border Force (ABF) on Thursday and transferred to the Park Hotel in Carlton, Melbourne. A quarantine facility which is where Novak Djokovic is staying as he awaits the outcome of his legal appeal against his visa being refused.
ABC Australia reports that Voracova has been told by the ABF that she must leave the country which she entered last month. A spokesperson from the Czech department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that Veracova will not appeal against the decision to revoke her visa.
“We have filed a protest note with the Australian authorities through the Embassy in Canberra and we are asking them to explain the situation,” Aneta Kovářová told iSport.cz. “However, Renata Voráčová decided to give up further participation in the tournament and leave Australia due to the limited possibility of training. Our embassies in Australia are assisting her in completing the formalities for leaving the country.”
The Czech player is among a small group of individuals whose visas are being reexamined by officials. It is understood that the 38-year-old entered to play the Australian Open on the medical exemption that she contracted and recovered from COVID-19 within the past six months. Something which the Australian government deems not a legitimate reason to enter their country.
Tennis Australia is now facing accusations of poor management concerning their medical exemption program after it emerged that they sent out information to players in December which contradicted what the health minister told them. The Herald Sun newspaper has obtained a copy of Tennis Australia’s guidance on medical exemptions which was issued on December 7th. Among the two-page document, they stated that players may be eligible for a temporary medical exemption.
“Recent PCR-confirmed SARS-COV-2 infection (after July 31st, 2021), where vaccinations can be deferred until six months after infection,” the document outlined.
However, a month before Tennis Australia’s statement NCA NewsWire obtained a letter sent from health minister Greg Hunt to Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley stating that players who had tested positive for COVID-19 over the past six months are not deemed fully vaccinated and therefore not allowed into the country.
“The Australian Border Force has advised that people must be fully vaccinated, as defined by ATAGI (the national advisory body on vaccines) to gain quarantine-free entry into Australia,” Mr Hunt wrote.
“In relation to your specific questions, I can confirm that people who contracted Covid-19 within the past six months and seek to enter Australia from overseas, and have not received two doses of a Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved or recognised vaccine is not considered fully vaccinated.”
As for Voracova, she is currently in contact with Czech diplomats. She has a doubles ranking of 80th and has been ranked as high as 74th in singles back in 2010.
The documents
Letter sent to Tennis Australia from the health sec on 29th November 2021
Tennis Australia’s medical exemption advice sent to players in December
