Dubai Open catches the heat
UPDATE 2/18: Israeli player Andy Ram has been approved for a visa to the United Arab Emirates in order to compete in the men's Dubai tournament beginning 2/23.
By Liza Horan
Is it a matter of discrimination or safety?
The decision of the United Arab Emirates to deny a visa to Shahar Peer, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour player from Israel, is being cast as an act of discrimination and an obstruction to fair competition. But the Dubai Open maintains that it has acted to protect the player, who could be targeted for her nationality in an unstable political environment.
While there are multiple sides to this situation, everyone is in agreement that her inability to enter the country in order to play the tournament is a major development and that stands need to be taken.
Here is a round-up of the opinions and actions.
Statement by Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships: "The organisers of the Dubai Tennis Championships can confirm that Shahar Peer was not granted an entry visa to theUnited Arab Emirates Pattaya , Thailand Dubai
Statement by Shahar Peer: "...There should be no place for politics or discrimination in professional tennis or indeed any sport."
Statement by Larry Scott, CEO of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour: "Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and are disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally, and the Tour is reviewing appropriate remedies for Ms. Peer and also will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament..."
Tennis Channel cancels broadcast of Dubai Open in protest:
Ken Solomon, Tennis Channel Chairman and CEO, released this statement: "Tennis Channel regrets to inform our viewers and tennis fans that we are canceling our upcoming coverage of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, U.A.E, originally scheduled for this weekend. Unfortunately the event will exclude a single player who has been blocked from entering the country due to her nationality. This is despite her having qualified for the competition via her on-court performance and current ranking. Tennis Channel recognizes that this exclusion has been made by state authorities and neither the tour nor tournament directors themselves. However we also honor the role and proud tradition that tennis has always played as a driving force for inclusion both on and off the courts. Preventing an otherwise qualified athlete from competing on the basis of anything other than merit has no place in tennis or any other sport, and has the unfortunate result of undermining the credibility of the very nature of competition itself."
American tourism operator, IsramWorld, cancels Dubai tours in protest:
A press release, issued today, announced that Dubai tourism programs by the New York-based IsramWorld were canceled because Peer's visa was denied.
"The UAE's action is an odious act of political bigotry," says A. Ady Gelber, president and CEO of IsramWorld, a leading U.S. tour operator for more than four decades and a prominent member of USTOA (the United States Tour Operators' Association), "and it reveals that despite its massive investment in tourism infrastructure, Dubai appears not ready to be a member of the world tourism family.
"According to a report in Sunday's New York Times, when U.S. tennis champion, Venus Williams, learned of Peer's visa denial she said, "All the players support Shahar, we are all athletes, and we stand for tennis." Peer and her family urged the Women's Tennis Association not to cancel the tournament because of the incident, but The New York Times took an unusually strong position in its article on the controversy, saying: "There is always going to be international conflict, and athletes in the middle. But they can't be abandoned there when there is a choice. Tennis should finish its business in the gulf this month, and say bye-bye, Dubai."
"We're saying 'bye-bye, Dubai,' right now," Gelber added.
News links:
Sports-City: Gulf sport hopes threated by Israeli tennis player ban
"Analysts and diplomats say the UAE cannot be expected to make the monumental political decision to establish ties with the Jewish state for the sake of sports alone, but neither can it host international sporting events and leave Israelis out..."
CNN
- video interview with Shahar Peer
- video interview with Larry Scott, CEO of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
BBC: Dubai faces censure for Peer ban
SportsBusinessDaily: Games of State
The New York Times (scroll toward bottom)
Tennis.com:
- Steve Tignor's Concrete Elbow blog
- James Martin's Viewpoint
By Liza Horan
Is it a matter of discrimination or safety?
The decision of the United Arab Emirates to deny a visa to Shahar Peer, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour player from Israel, is being cast as an act of discrimination and an obstruction to fair competition. But the Dubai Open maintains that it has acted to protect the player, who could be targeted for her nationality in an unstable political environment.
While there are multiple sides to this situation, everyone is in agreement that her inability to enter the country in order to play the tournament is a major development and that stands need to be taken.
Here is a round-up of the opinions and actions.
Statement by Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships: "The organisers of the Dubai Tennis Championships can confirm that Shahar Peer was not granted an entry visa to the
Statement by Shahar Peer: "...There should be no place for politics or discrimination in professional tennis or indeed any sport."
Statement by Larry Scott, CEO of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour: "Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and are disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally, and the Tour is reviewing appropriate remedies for Ms. Peer and also will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament..."
Tennis Channel cancels broadcast of Dubai Open in protest:
Ken Solomon, Tennis Channel Chairman and CEO, released this statement: "Tennis Channel regrets to inform our viewers and tennis fans that we are canceling our upcoming coverage of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, U.A.E, originally scheduled for this weekend. Unfortunately the event will exclude a single player who has been blocked from entering the country due to her nationality. This is despite her having qualified for the competition via her on-court performance and current ranking. Tennis Channel recognizes that this exclusion has been made by state authorities and neither the tour nor tournament directors themselves. However we also honor the role and proud tradition that tennis has always played as a driving force for inclusion both on and off the courts. Preventing an otherwise qualified athlete from competing on the basis of anything other than merit has no place in tennis or any other sport, and has the unfortunate result of undermining the credibility of the very nature of competition itself."
American tourism operator, IsramWorld, cancels Dubai tours in protest:
A press release, issued today, announced that Dubai tourism programs by the New York-based IsramWorld were canceled because Peer's visa was denied.
"The UAE's action is an odious act of political bigotry," says A. Ady Gelber, president and CEO of IsramWorld, a leading U.S. tour operator for more than four decades and a prominent member of USTOA (the United States Tour Operators' Association), "and it reveals that despite its massive investment in tourism infrastructure, Dubai appears not ready to be a member of the world tourism family.
"According to a report in Sunday's New York Times, when U.S. tennis champion, Venus Williams, learned of Peer's visa denial she said, "All the players support Shahar, we are all athletes, and we stand for tennis." Peer and her family urged the Women's Tennis Association not to cancel the tournament because of the incident, but The New York Times took an unusually strong position in its article on the controversy, saying: "There is always going to be international conflict, and athletes in the middle. But they can't be abandoned there when there is a choice. Tennis should finish its business in the gulf this month, and say bye-bye, Dubai."
"We're saying 'bye-bye, Dubai,' right now," Gelber added.
News links:
Sports-City: Gulf sport hopes threated by Israeli tennis player ban
"Analysts and diplomats say the UAE cannot be expected to make the monumental political decision to establish ties with the Jewish state for the sake of sports alone, but neither can it host international sporting events and leave Israelis out..."
CNN
- video interview with Shahar Peer
- video interview with Larry Scott, CEO of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
BBC: Dubai faces censure for Peer ban
SportsBusinessDaily: Games of State
The New York Times (scroll toward bottom)
Tennis.com:
- Steve Tignor's Concrete Elbow blog
- James Martin's Viewpoint
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