[arm79]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Who do you think is at "fault" for the screw up?

The way it's playing out you'd partly have to lay it at the feet Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government, partly at the feet of the airline that flew him in and the rest entirely on Djokovic.

Tennis Australia supplied an information sheet that actually gave true and accurate directions on what is required to enter the country and what needs to be done once inside the country.

For some strange reason TA setup a medical panel with the Victorian Government to assess the second part of the entry requirements for players seeking exemptions, which is detailed in the information sheet, weeks prior to his arrival. It would have been this panel that provided exemption.

We all know his social media post where he wrote he received "exemption permission". It's likely this "exemption permission" was the approval given him by the Victorian government and he has flown here on that basis.

Which is completely contrary to Chairman Dan's stance that NO UNVACCINATED players will be welcome at the AO. Why go to the trouble of being involved in a panel to process exemptions and approving these exemptions given his very public and blunt stance.

Read the sheet from the AO properly. It clearly states there are only 2 ways into Australia. Either be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption certificate. And this is where it gets very murky.

Read point 2 under the required proof section. It is pi$$ poorly worded. It starts off with ABF requirements then jumps to Victorian requirements. It's that poorly worded that you could assume the both are one in the same. An exemption from the Victorian Government will get you pass the ABF. In reality they should have provided a link to ABF entry requirements as they did in the point above.

But if you go further into the requirements, as directed by Greg Hunt's letter, the smart traveller website and Aus Health website, to obtain quarantine free arrival you will see the medical exemption certificate must:

clearly acknowledge that you have a medical condition which means you cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccination (vaccination is contraindicated)

Then you are at the mercy of the destination state's quarantine and arrival processes. And Big D had already stated not even a quarantined player would be welcomed. Fully vaccinated only!

It's also interesting to note that the Health website states:

Airlines are responsible for ensuring your proof meets these requirements.

Be interesting to know what he showed them that let him on the plane.

So in my mind we have TA providing an information sheet that was very accurate, but murky and misleading in places, and the Vic Government setting up an exemption processing panel, that game him an exemption, even though Dan the Man said exemptions would not be allowed and unvaccinated players would not be welcome. And it was likely it was on this exemption he flew here. Then the airline let him travel without adequate or dodgy proof.

Yet the ABF have been operating on these same medical exemption certificate entry to Australia requirements since the end of November.

Then ultimately it falls on Djokovic. If he has not bothered to check or comply with ABF requirements its on him, as its the travellers responsibility to be in compliance. Maybe he's tried to turn up with dodgy information which they have not accepted.

Originally Posted by T3rminator

We've now got a ridiculous situation where...

As ridiculous as they may be, they are the rules that have been set out. There are simply one set of requirements to enter the country and another set to suit specific circumstances for those already in the country.

The question here is whether the rules have been followed and whether people are playing games with them.

It should also be considered that maybe the ABF took issue with Djokovic's character. He is a known anti-vaxxer and these rules are in place specifically to assist people already in the country with a specific set of circumstances. By trying to circumvent the rules in this way they might have seen as poor character.

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Ask yourself how did two others get in on the same papers, and was only later kicked out when it was revealed to the public.

I'd like answers to that too. If there's been a breakdown at the federal level that allowed that to happen then heads should roll there as well. But we've heard very little about what is going on there.

But the other question here is, how and why was an unvaccinated player allowed past the Dictators vaccinated only requirement. Well the question is not so much how, because we know his government was involved in providing exemptions.