The Tennis Thread

[Blackmac]

I love the fact that his lawyers have a zero tolerance policy for non vaccinated staff working in the company.

[Calculon]

You get the feeling there is a bit of the school bully aspect about that backing. The sort of person you don't fall out with rather than actually like.

No one coming out of this well. But I don't think the world will swallow the fact that Novak suddenly has a medical condition that prevents his vaccination when he has been such a cock about the whole thing since the start. I would imagine his reception at the AO will be difficult to cope with, even for a lad of his mentality.

I've not seen anyone claim that, least of all Novak

Reported in the media this morning. They way of course be referring to the dodgy Covid claim from December.

Also it's been suggested by his own legal team that he first applied for his exemption on the 18th November. If he is subsequently relying on the December Covid case, what was his basis for exemption then.

I don't know. My understanding is that he needed to have two physicians assess and support the vaccine exemption for the visa. Novak is after all not a physician and so not qualified to do so. The fact that he allegedly applied on the 18th of November seems to be irrelevant to this case.

[SaintK]

Straight ace by Andy Murray!!!

[Blackmac]

I've not seen anyone claim that, least of all Novak

Reported in the media this morning. They way of course be referring to the dodgy Covid claim from December.

Also it's been suggested by his own legal team that he first applied for his exemption on the 18th November. If he is subsequently relying on the December Covid case, what was his basis for exemption then.

I don't know. My understanding is that he needed to have two physicians assess and support the vaccine exemption for the visa. Novak is after all not a physician and so not qualified to do so. The fact that he allegedly applied on the 18th of November seems to be irrelevant to this case.

As I said, the question is, what was the basis of his application for exemption at that point, because everything reported so far suggests a reliance on the December Covid case.

No one is coming out of this well but there is no doubt that the cause is a rich, influential and arrogant individual who thinks he can make poor choices but still game the system to avoid the consequences that lesser people face.

[Blackmac]

Straight ace by Andy Murray!!!

Jesus, he can be a sharp fucker when he wants to be.

[petej]

Reported in the media this morning. They way of course be referring to the dodgy Covid claim from December.

Also it's been suggested by his own legal team that he first applied for his exemption on the 18th November. If he is subsequently relying on the December Covid case, what was his basis for exemption then.

I don't know. My understanding is that he needed to have two physicians assess and support the vaccine exemption for the visa. Novak is after all not a physician and so not qualified to do so. The fact that he allegedly applied on the 18th of November seems to be irrelevant to this case.

As I said, the question is, what was the basis of his application for exemption at that point, because everything reported so far suggests a reliance on the December Covid case.

No one is coming out of this well but there is no doubt that the cause is a rich, influential and arrogant individual who thinks he can make poor choices but still game the system to avoid the consequences that lesser people face.

Pretty sure this is the 2nd time Novak has been infected.

[Blackmac]

I don't know. My understanding is that he needed to have two physicians assess and support the vaccine exemption for the visa. Novak is after all not a physician and so not qualified to do so. The fact that he allegedly applied on the 18th of November seems to be irrelevant to this case.

As I said, the question is, what was the basis of his application for exemption at that point, because everything reported so far suggests a reliance on the December Covid case.

No one is coming out of this well but there is no doubt that the cause is a rich, influential and arrogant individual who thinks he can make poor choices but still game the system to avoid the consequences that lesser people face.

Pretty sure this is the 2nd time Novak has been infected.

He supposedly had it after his dodgy tennis tournament in 2020 which wouldn't count so maybe even claiming a third infection. Not a great look for his vaccination choices.

[Glaston]

Straight ace by Andy Murray!!!

He takes a swing and misses by half a Continent.

What part of the EU is considered Eastern Europe?

[Ymx]

There are reports that he’s now been rearrested by the Aus Government. Seems they are determined to deport Novax.

Have you got a link?

[robmatic]

Straight ace by Andy Murray!!!

He takes a swing and misses by half a Continent.

What part of the EU is considered Eastern Europe?

Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Baltic states are all widely considered to be Eastern Europe.

[Biffer]

Straight ace by Andy Murray!!!

He takes a swing and misses by half a Continent.

What part of the EU is considered Eastern Europe?

Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Baltic states are all widely considered to be Eastern Europe.

There are as many different definitions of Eastern Europe as there are people who give opinions on such things. Some definitions are linguistic, some cultural, some religious, some look at the influence of the Ottoman empire of alignments in the cold war. Sometimes it includes the Balkans and other times not.

Trying to say there is a clear definition is the less correct than of any of the definitions.

[robmatic]

He takes a swing and misses by half a Continent.

What part of the EU is considered Eastern Europe?

Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Baltic states are all widely considered to be Eastern Europe.

There are as many different definitions of Eastern Europe as there are people who give opinions on such things. Some definitions are linguistic, some cultural, some religious, some look at the influence of the Ottoman empire of alignments in the cold war. Sometimes it includes the Balkans and other times not.

Trying to say there is a clear definition is the less correct than of any of the definitions.

I didn't say there was a clear definition ('widely considered'), but however you choose to define it, there is a part of the EU that is in Eastern Europe.

[sturginho]

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/int ... 0110216126

[Hugo]

There are reports that he’s now been rearrested by the Aus Government. Seems they are determined to deport Novax.

This could turn into a real shit show for the tournament. Lots of players think he is a bit of a cock but also back him as a fellow player ,so can see it falling apart slightly.

Also, isn't a tennis tournament played without one of the best players a diminished competition? The other thing is he could make history there by winning a record breaking 21st grand slam. I would assume tournament organisers would rather he did it in Australia than any of the other three venues.

[Hugo]

What's funnier if he's deported is tgat I think he's then banned from entering Australia for three years

There are bound to be caveats to that if it's deemed in the interests of Australia, and one of the all time great tennis players would surely give them enough wriggle room.

One can only hope the prat is jabbed by then

That’s completely contrary to all the public statements about this where being rich and famous doesn’t make a difference.

He's not in Australia because he is rich and famous though, he is there to work.

Whatever fame and wealth he has accrued he has earned through hard work and natural talent. He is not some second rate celebrity he is one of the best tennis players of all time.

[Calculon]

Reported in the media this morning. They way of course be referring to the dodgy Covid claim from December.

Also it's been suggested by his own legal team that he first applied for his exemption on the 18th November. If he is subsequently relying on the December Covid case, what was his basis for exemption then.

I don't know. My understanding is that he needed to have two physicians assess and support the vaccine exemption for the visa. Novak is after all not a physician and so not qualified to do so. The fact that he allegedly applied on the 18th of November seems to be irrelevant to this case.

As I said, the question is, what was the basis of his application for exemption at that point, because everything reported so far suggests a reliance on the December Covid case.

No one is coming out of this well but there is no doubt that the cause is a rich, influential and arrogant individual who thinks he can make poor choices but still game the system to avoid the consequences that lesser people face.

The purpose of the system is to protect public health in Australia, letting Novak play at Melbourne is not going to threaten that. Several journeymen tennis players also got in on the same exemption so him being rich and influential seems immaterial to him being granted the exemption and visa.

The judge in the case basically said the Australia border force stitched Novak up, so I think they are mostly to blame

[FalseBayFC]

Is Austria in Eastern Europe?

[FalseBayFC]

Poles consider themselves central European. As do the Czechs, Slovakians etc. They were part of the Eastern Bloc which a lot people equate with being Eastern European.

[Hugo]

I don't know. My understanding is that he needed to have two physicians assess and support the vaccine exemption for the visa. Novak is after all not a physician and so not qualified to do so. The fact that he allegedly applied on the 18th of November seems to be irrelevant to this case.

As I said, the question is, what was the basis of his application for exemption at that point, because everything reported so far suggests a reliance on the December Covid case.

No one is coming out of this well but there is no doubt that the cause is a rich, influential and arrogant individual who thinks he can make poor choices but still game the system to avoid the consequences that lesser people face.

The purpose of the system is to protect public health in Australia, letting Novak play at Melbourne is not going to threaten that. Several journeymen tennis players also got in on the same exemption so him being rich and influential seems immaterial to him being granted the exemption and visa.

The judge in the case basically said the Australia border force stitched Novak up, so I think they are mostly to blame

Agreed. He's a visitor attempting to enter the country in order to ply his trade. I don't see how him being unvaccinated compromises public health in the country.

The behaviour of the Australian authorities is illiberal in my opinion.

[Happyhooker]

As I said, the question is, what was the basis of his application for exemption at that point, because everything reported so far suggests a reliance on the December Covid case.

No one is coming out of this well but there is no doubt that the cause is a rich, influential and arrogant individual who thinks he can make poor choices but still game the system to avoid the consequences that lesser people face.

The purpose of the system is to protect public health in Australia, letting Novak play at Melbourne is not going to threaten that. Several journeymen tennis players also got in on the same exemption so him being rich and influential seems immaterial to him being granted the exemption and visa.

The judge in the case basically said the Australia border force stitched Novak up, so I think they are mostly to blame

Agreed. He's a visitor attempting to enter the country in order to ply his trade. I don't see how him being unvaccinated compromises public health in the country.

The behaviour of the Australian authorities is illiberal in my opinion.

Public health legislation and border control are by definition illiberal.

What you're saying is you don't agree with them in this case

[Calculon]

You would think that if border control genuinely thought that Novak was a threat to public health they wouldn't have let in the other tennis players with the same exemption. If the Oz government wants to use the pretense of Novak being a threat to public health they can still revoke his visa by ministerial degree. It might well give them a boost in the polls for the upcoming election.

[Plim]

I couldn’t care less what happens to this conspiracy theorist, Serbian nationalist, lawn tennis fellow.

If his presence isn’t conducive to the public good in Australia why shouldn’t they just shut the door on him?

[Kiwias]

Papa Joker has completely lost his mind.

“Autocracy has shown its true face today. Contrary to the decision of the independent court of Australia, dictator Scott ordered the arrest of my son, your world champion, Novak Djokovic, and deportation, banning him from entering the country for three long years. The court showed that law exists in Australia, but Scott dared to take justice into his own hands.

I call on the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth, the leader of the Commonwealth, to intervene and protect the human rights of my son Novak Djokovic and to stop the political prosecution that has been carried out against him since he came to Australia. I call on all Australians and the whole world to raise their voice against terror, and the brutal human rights violations of the world’s best tennis player.

Australia has become a dystopia, a mockery of the free world, they treat Novak Djokovic, my son, your world champion, as a political prisoner. As a terrorist in Guantanamo Bay. They deprive him of the right to play, to individuality, to freedom of opinion. But I publicly claim: Political beasts will not break it! The whole world can now see a fake democracy led by one Scott.

Novak is treated by the Australian government as an enemy of the state, not the best tennis player in the world who has always helped Australia with his donations in philanthropy. He is treated by ethnic racists as a lower-class citizen. The truth has come to light, Australia is run by political criminals who do not respect individual rights or court decisions. They do not respect the decisions of their court, they do not respect their legal system.

As of today, Australia is a banana republic and my son took the cross to go down in history as Spartacus standing on the last line of defence of freedom.

I call on all non-governmental organisations around the world and all people of good will who believe in justice and democracy, as well as the Queen of Great Britain, to get involved and protect Novak Djokovic from the torture against him."

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/au ... bf4cfc?amp

[PCPhil]

Papa Joker has completely lost his mind.

“Autocracy has shown its true face today. Contrary to the decision of the independent court of Australia, dictator Scott ordered the arrest of my son, your world champion, Novak Djokovic, and deportation, banning him from entering the country for three long years. The court showed that law exists in Australia, but Scott dared to take justice into his own hands.

I call on the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth, the leader of the Commonwealth, to intervene and protect the human rights of my son Novak Djokovic and to stop the political prosecution that has been carried out against him since he came to Australia. I call on all Australians and the whole world to raise their voice against terror, and the brutal human rights violations of the world’s best tennis player.

Australia has become a dystopia, a mockery of the free world, they treat Novak Djokovic, my son, your world champion, as a political prisoner. As a terrorist in Guantanamo Bay. They deprive him of the right to play, to individuality, to freedom of opinion. But I publicly claim: Political beasts will not break it! The whole world can now see a fake democracy led by one Scott.

Novak is treated by the Australian government as an enemy of the state, not the best tennis player in the world who has always helped Australia with his donations in philanthropy. He is treated by ethnic racists as a lower-class citizen. The truth has come to light, Australia is run by political criminals who do not respect individual rights or court decisions. They do not respect the decisions of their court, they do not respect their legal system.

As of today, Australia is a banana republic and my son took the cross to go down in history as Spartacus standing on the last line of defence of freedom.

I call on all non-governmental organisations around the world and all people of good will who believe in justice and democracy, as well as the Queen of Great Britain, to get involved and protect Novak Djokovic from the torture against him."

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/au ... bf4cfc?amp

Just doing his best to warm up the crowd to support his son.

[Grandpa]

Meanwhile the Czech player who had her Visa cancelled for the same reason hasn't ben invited back?

[Blackmac]

Papa Joker has completely lost his mind.

“Autocracy has shown its true face today. Contrary to the decision of the independent court of Australia, dictator Scott ordered the arrest of my son, your world champion, Novak Djokovic, and deportation, banning him from entering the country for three long years. The court showed that law exists in Australia, but Scott dared to take justice into his own hands.

I call on the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth, the leader of the Commonwealth, to intervene and protect the human rights of my son Novak Djokovic and to stop the political prosecution that has been carried out against him since he came to Australia. I call on all Australians and the whole world to raise their voice against terror, and the brutal human rights violations of the world’s best tennis player.

Australia has become a dystopia, a mockery of the free world, they treat Novak Djokovic, my son, your world champion, as a political prisoner. As a terrorist in Guantanamo Bay. They deprive him of the right to play, to individuality, to freedom of opinion. But I publicly claim: Political beasts will not break it! The whole world can now see a fake democracy led by one Scott.

Novak is treated by the Australian government as an enemy of the state, not the best tennis player in the world who has always helped Australia with his donations in philanthropy. He is treated by ethnic racists as a lower-class citizen. The truth has come to light, Australia is run by political criminals who do not respect individual rights or court decisions. They do not respect the decisions of their court, they do not respect their legal system.

As of today, Australia is a banana republic and my son took the cross to go down in history as Spartacus standing on the last line of defence of freedom.

I call on all non-governmental organisations around the world and all people of good will who believe in justice and democracy, as well as the Queen of Great Britain, to get involved and protect Novak Djokovic from the torture against him."

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/au ... bf4cfc?amp

Just doing his best to warm up the crowd to support his son.

I see the police have already been fighting with crowds of Serbs in Melbourne and they are having to mount a huge security operation because of anticipated trouble at the AO. I remember when we went to the AO, the Serbian supporters were a particularly noticeable boisterous and obnoxious presence, I would imagine this year will be hugely worse.

[Blackmac]

Meanwhile the Czech player who had her Visa cancelled for the same reason hasn't ben invited back?

Such is life I suppose. She didn't have Novax's resources so she accepted the outcome of the process, whereas he had the ability to challenge the decision and succeed on a technicality.

The latest revelations about the obvious lies on his visa application are interesting but I get the feeling the fight has gone out of the Aussies.

[Calculon]

Meanwhile the Czech player who had her Visa cancelled for the same reason hasn't ben invited back?

She was treated like shit by the Australian authorities. Told she had no option but to be deported so she didn't even realise she could appeal the decision.

Speaking to Reuters in a video call, Voracova said she went through immigration without facing any problems and believed she would have been competing at the Australian Open if the furore around Djokovic's visa and his vaccination status had not erupted.

"I was there already for one week and since he arrived things changed," she said. "I am not mad at him.

"I am really sad that this happened. It's one of the biggest tournaments. You go there and this happens. You can't even imagine it is possible in the 21st century to happen in this country."


Voracova ranked 82nd in doubles, said she felt like she was in the midst of an action movie when she was escorted from the hotel in which she had been staying.


"We didn't even use the normal lifts. We went through side lifts and total different ways (through the hotel) where people couldn't see me. And then we went to the garage where there was a van," she said.

The interrogation took about six hours. She said she did not appeal the decision to have her visa taken away as she was not aware of all the legal implications.

"I really didn't know after questioning what I was supposed to do, what my rights are. There were people with me from Tennis Australia, lawyers who were helping me. And they didn't appeal to court. So I didn't know I could do it. I just followed the advice they give me," she said.

She said the windows in her room at the government hotel were locked and people were guarding the corridors between the rooms. With no chance to train, she chose to leave Australia.

"It is a big relief that I am home finally. During the day (there) I didn't feel really good, I couldn't sleep at all, and I was not eating much," she said.

[Grandpa]

Surprised Novak didn't pay for his lawyer to help her out... solidarity and all that.

[Calculon]

I thought this was quite a funny story in The Age

https://www.theage.com.au/national/djok ... l#comments

Spoiler

Show

As interrogators of Australia’s Border Force squeezed Novak Djokovic to declare why he should not lose his visa, and to do it in 20 minutes at 4am without use of his phone, it was a marvel no one detected the ghost of Egon Kisch chuckling wryly nearby.

The transcript, of course, could very nearly have been created by Franz Kafka, the Prague-born writer whose works illustrate how bureaucracies overpower individuals in a disorienting labyrinth of rules and regulations.


But the story of another Prague-born writer, Egon Kisch, shows Australia is an old hand at enmeshing the unwanted in red-tape nightmares.

In 1934, Kisch – an anti-fascist campaigner who had been jailed by Hitler – was invited to undertake a lecture tour in Australia.

The conservative Australian government of Joseph Lyons, learning Kisch was a communist, declared him an undesirable and refused him entry.

But he jumped ship at Port Melbourne and went north before being hauled to Sydney Central Police Station.


There, police brought out what they thought was an incontestable weapon: the dictation test.

Since Australian federation in 1901, White Australia boasted a dictation test designed to keep out non-whites and other “undesirables”.

Any would-be immigrant could be required to undertake a written test “in any European language”.


Kitsch, however, spoke a wide range of European languages.

And so stepped forward NSW Police Constable James Mackay, born in Scotland, who claimed to speak Gaelic. Constable Mackay dictated the Lord’s Prayer in what he claimed was Gaelic.

Kisch, knowing no Gaelic, was duly charged with being a prohibited migrant. He was convicted and sentenced to six months’ hard labour.

Kisch, however, got the last laugh.


The High Court ruled Scottish Gaelic wasn’t a European language.

Freed amid priceless publicity, Kisch happily addressed anti-fascist rallies across Australia until eventually returning to Europe, with the Australian Government, egg on its face, paying his costs.

The dictation test no longer exists, and the deliberately unvaccinated Novak Djokovic is no Egon Kisch.

However, what are we to make of a system that sends Border Protection officials to bail up an arrival at the Melbourne Airport for several hours of questioning about contradictory rules, and at 4am informs him that he had 20 minutes to mount an argument about why he should not have his visa revoked?

The exact words used?

Interviewer: “This is a notice of intention to consider cancellation under s116 of the Migration Act 1958. So, once I serve this notice to you, I will give you like, you know, 20 minutes – or whatever if you need more time you can request that – and you need to provide us reasons why we shouldn’t cancel the visa.”

Djokovic: “So you’re giving me legally 20 minutes to try to provide additional information that I don’t have? At 4 o’clock in the morning? I mean you kind of put me in a very awkward position where at four in the morning I can’t call director of Tennis Australia, I can’t engage with anybody from the Victorian state government through Tennis Australia. I don’t know what else can I tell you. I mean everything that ... I was asked to do is here.”

Border Force eventually granted Djokovic a rest until 8.30am, but then reneged and tried again, at 6am, to extract a decision from him before he could get legal advice.


We may not sympathise with Djokovic’s anti-vaccine stance, we might argue he shouldn’t have been allowed to board an Australia-bound plane in the first place, and we might envy the fame and millions of dollars at his disposal that got him a team of lawyers and a quick court appearance that freed him.

And now, as a new investigation occurs, we wonder about the truth concerning his recent travels as documented on his visa application.

But Djokovic aside, what of the powerless who find themselves at the mercy of a border force armed with near incomprehensible government regulations designed to get rid of them as quickly as possible?


How many of them – and in certain circumstances, it could be any of us – have the capacity to find a judge who looks with disbelief at what has happened and asks “what more could this man have done?”

We know what happens to some of the helpless and the voiceless, it turns out.

We know because Djokovic found himself in a Melbourne hotel locked up with 33 asylum seekers.

Some of those unfortunate people have been detained for at least nine years, with few Australians knowing they existed.

They, at least, are worthy of our genuine concern out of this shambles.

Have we moved far beyond the dictation test, really

[Blackmac]

I thought this was quite a funny story in The Age

https://www.theage.com.au/national/djok ... l#comments

Spoiler

Show

As interrogators of Australia’s Border Force squeezed Novak Djokovic to declare why he should not lose his visa, and to do it in 20 minutes at 4am without use of his phone, it was a marvel no one detected the ghost of Egon Kisch chuckling wryly nearby.

The transcript, of course, could very nearly have been created by Franz Kafka, the Prague-born writer whose works illustrate how bureaucracies overpower individuals in a disorienting labyrinth of rules and regulations.


But the story of another Prague-born writer, Egon Kisch, shows Australia is an old hand at enmeshing the unwanted in red-tape nightmares.

In 1934, Kisch – an anti-fascist campaigner who had been jailed by Hitler – was invited to undertake a lecture tour in Australia.

The conservative Australian government of Joseph Lyons, learning Kisch was a communist, declared him an undesirable and refused him entry.

But he jumped ship at Port Melbourne and went north before being hauled to Sydney Central Police Station.


There, police brought out what they thought was an incontestable weapon: the dictation test.

Since Australian federation in 1901, White Australia boasted a dictation test designed to keep out non-whites and other “undesirables”.

Any would-be immigrant could be required to undertake a written test “in any European language”.


Kitsch, however, spoke a wide range of European languages.

And so stepped forward NSW Police Constable James Mackay, born in Scotland, who claimed to speak Gaelic. Constable Mackay dictated the Lord’s Prayer in what he claimed was Gaelic.

Kisch, knowing no Gaelic, was duly charged with being a prohibited migrant. He was convicted and sentenced to six months’ hard labour.

Kisch, however, got the last laugh.


The High Court ruled Scottish Gaelic wasn’t a European language.

Freed amid priceless publicity, Kisch happily addressed anti-fascist rallies across Australia until eventually returning to Europe, with the Australian Government, egg on its face, paying his costs.

The dictation test no longer exists, and the deliberately unvaccinated Novak Djokovic is no Egon Kisch.

However, what are we to make of a system that sends Border Protection officials to bail up an arrival at the Melbourne Airport for several hours of questioning about contradictory rules, and at 4am informs him that he had 20 minutes to mount an argument about why he should not have his visa revoked?

The exact words used?

Interviewer: “This is a notice of intention to consider cancellation under s116 of the Migration Act 1958. So, once I serve this notice to you, I will give you like, you know, 20 minutes – or whatever if you need more time you can request that – and you need to provide us reasons why we shouldn’t cancel the visa.”

Djokovic: “So you’re giving me legally 20 minutes to try to provide additional information that I don’t have? At 4 o’clock in the morning? I mean you kind of put me in a very awkward position where at four in the morning I can’t call director of Tennis Australia, I can’t engage with anybody from the Victorian state government through Tennis Australia. I don’t know what else can I tell you. I mean everything that ... I was asked to do is here.”

Border Force eventually granted Djokovic a rest until 8.30am, but then reneged and tried again, at 6am, to extract a decision from him before he could get legal advice.


We may not sympathise with Djokovic’s anti-vaccine stance, we might argue he shouldn’t have been allowed to board an Australia-bound plane in the first place, and we might envy the fame and millions of dollars at his disposal that got him a team of lawyers and a quick court appearance that freed him.

And now, as a new investigation occurs, we wonder about the truth concerning his recent travels as documented on his visa application.

But Djokovic aside, what of the powerless who find themselves at the mercy of a border force armed with near incomprehensible government regulations designed to get rid of them as quickly as possible?


How many of them – and in certain circumstances, it could be any of us – have the capacity to find a judge who looks with disbelief at what has happened and asks “what more could this man have done?”

We know what happens to some of the helpless and the voiceless, it turns out.

We know because Djokovic found himself in a Melbourne hotel locked up with 33 asylum seekers.

Some of those unfortunate people have been detained for at least nine years, with few Australians knowing they existed.

They, at least, are worthy of our genuine concern out of this shambles.

Have we moved far beyond the dictation test, really

I agree, that looks appalling. I was a Specialist Interview Adviser is my previous life and spent my time jumping around high profile enquiries advising mainly on suspect interviews. Two of the overriding principles of any interview process are not only that it is fair, but it is also seen to be fair. At that point they lost a lot of credibility.

[Blackmac]

I see that a German tabloid is claiming that the QR codes on Novax's PCR test don't relate to the dates and tests that he is claiming.

[Slick]

And didn't he say that TA filled in his form but is now saying that his agent did?

Also, an interview with a journo knowing he was positive?

[Grandpa]

So he has admitted to knowing he had tested positive when he met the journalist. And also admitted that his Travel Declaration form was filled out incorrectly.

So I guess as long as he admits to everything then all is fine? But he is only admitting things once the media has brought them to the public's attention. Not before. Jolly decent of him.

[Blackmac]

And didn't he say that TA filled in his form but is now saying that his agent did?

Also, an interview with a journo knowing he was positive?

Pretty sure his lawyer told the court his result was received on the 16th. All telling so many lies they are struggling to remember their own story.

You get the feeling the Aussies will be more emboldened to deport him now. Failure to do so would set a dangerous precedent that their rules are there to be broken.

[Enzedder]

He's been sent packing

Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has cancelled Novak Djokovic's visa and the tennis player will be deported.

It comes after the tennis star won a court case earlier this week against his previous cancellation.

Hawke said he cancelled the visa on "health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so".

The tennis star's legal team has indicated they intend to file an injunction against the minister's decision in a bid to allow him to stay and play in the Australian Open.

- more to come

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/alert-spt/45 ... N4w7CiVXm0

[Kiwias]

Poor Joker.

[Calculon]

Seemed inevitable when you have an upcoming election and polls showing 80% of Australias went him kicked out.

[Glaston]

Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Baltic states are all widely considered to be Eastern Europe.

There are as many different definitions of Eastern Europe as there are people who give opinions on such things. Some definitions are linguistic, some cultural, some religious, some look at the influence of the Ottoman empire of alignments in the cold war. Sometimes it includes the Balkans and other times not.

Trying to say there is a clear definition is the less correct than of any of the definitions.

I didn't say there was a clear definition ('widely considered'), but however you choose to define it, there is a part of the EU that is in Eastern Europe.

Eastern Europe in Western Euro's eyes is a construct of the Cold War.

Many from what we refer to as Eastern Europe consider themselves to be Central Europe.
Got thoroughly told of by the Poles/Latvians at work for calling them East Europeans. They were pretty miffed .
East Europe is Russia/Ukraine to them

[Biffer]

And while Djokovic continues to be an arse, Andy Murray continues to prove he's a stand up bloke

https://t.co/T0hhv5VAyQ

Andy Murray turned down a seven-figure sum to play an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s human-rights record, his representative has revealed.