WTA Tour - Dubai future "very much in doubt"

Eurosport - Tue, 17 Feb 23:45:00 2009

The future of the Dubai Championships is "very much in doubt" as pressure mounts for the sport's governing bodies to take action after Israel's Shahar Peer was barred from competing.

TENNIS 2007 Shahar Peer - 0

The United Arab Emirates denied Peer an entry visa and the world number 45 was unable to participate in one of the most lucrative tournaments on the WTA Tour.

The $2 million event had nine of the world's top 10 women in the field and from next Monday Dubai will host the men's tournament but the political row is expected to rumble on because Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram is in the field.

WTA chief Larry Scott has said the Dubai tournament could be scratched from next year's calendar if UAE officials persist with their stance of barring Israeli competitors.

"The future of this tournament is very much in doubt," Scott told Reuters. "We feel a great sense of upset and outrage over what has happened. Our goal is to bring sports above politics and resolving this for the future.

"There certainly will be (sanctions) imposed on the tournament but we'll make those decisions following this year's tournament.

"They were awarded this tournament with a very clear understanding and their agreement that if an Israeli ever wanted to play, they would be allowed to play. But (the agreement) had never been tested until now.

"Whatever we decide here will send a very clear signal."

This is the first major political row to hit the sport since global sanctions were placed on South Africa in the late 1970s for its apartheid regime.

But unlike apartheid South Africa, Israel is not the subject of international sporting sanctions and so those who govern the sport cannot allow individual countries to lay down the rules about who can and cannot compete at their tournaments.

The refusal to issue a visa to Peer violates WTA Tour rules, which state that any player should be able to compete where she wishes if she has the required ranking.

While the ATP Tour said it would review the status of the men's event once Ram was notified about his application, the player said action should be taken sooner rather than later.

"The people in charge of the tour - the WTA and the ATP - have to take responsibility," Ram said while competing in a tournament in Marseille.

"It's one of the biggest tournaments on the calendar, so obviously they have to find a way to let the Israelis play there.

"I don't know what should be done... maybe cancelling the tournament or sanction them with money or any other thing."

Like most Arab nations, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state and Israeli citizens are usually denied entry.

Tensions have been heightened by the three-week Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed 1,300 Palestinians and 14 Israelis. Although the conflict ended in January, it caused deep anger around the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Tournament officials defended their stance, saying local fans would have boycotted the event if an Israeli was allowed to compete and that Peer's safety could also have been compromised.

But Jewish human rights organisation the Simon Wiesenthal Center urged Barclays Bank to drop its sponsorship from the men's event.

"If they're going to bar Israelis, why not just rename it the 'Dubai Apartheid Tournament'?" said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Wiesenthal Center.

"What Dubai is doing is caving in to extremists who want to harm the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. If Dubai cannot handle appropriate security arrangements, then the tournament should be cancelled."

Reuters

Comment 7 - 26 of 26

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  1. That is the whole point. They would have no choice but­ to allow them to play. When Dubai signed up to host­ this tournament, they accepted thet they would allow­ any qualified player to participate in the tournament.­ Now they have renaged on this agreement, they have left­ themselves open to this fine and all the associated­ criticism that goes with the decision. And then when­ they gave in and allower Ram to compete, they showed­ themselves to be cowards as well as bigots.

    If Israel­ had done the same thing then these penalties and­ criticisms would have been equally severely leveled at­ them. In fact I would expect all the anti semites out­ there to be demanding blood over it.

    From big_davey_b, on Sat 21 Feb 12:28PM

  2. I wonder if a tournament was held in Israel will it ­ allow a Hamas player to participate..

    I can understand­ the UAE stand here.. How can you welcome in your ­ hotels a citizen who supports her country about the ­ killing of 1300 of your people and destroying a whole ­ city including UN sites. Sport event or not we are only­ humans and you can not neglect the fact the player is ­ an Israeli supporting the destruction done by her ­ country.

    From mkhalifa2000, on Sat 21 Feb 8:42AM

  3. 10 or 20 politicians of some countries rule everything­ in this world. They decide where they want to sell­ weapon and where they want to recover oil and they do­ not care how many people and kids will die for it. They­ make people hate each other. Thank God there are­ Olympic Games and other championships like tennis.

    From Natalia V, on Fri 20 Feb 3:16AM

  4. Dubai A gold plated turd in the sand.......

    From Nicholas, on Thu 19 Feb 3:20PM

  5. Ban Dubai holding tennis tournaments and Alision­ Merrrittt posting..........

    From Nicholas, on Thu 19 Feb 3:19PM

  6. UOYKCUK LEARSI!!
    SHALOM!

    From dorin c, on Wed 18 Feb 11:09PM

  7. She came carrying a tennis racquet,not a gun.The UAE­ has proved that the image it projects, as a forward­ thinking modern state is a nonsense.They can build­ skyscrapers and hotels and entire islands,yet they­ cannot mask the fact that they are not modern,they have­ shown the world that they are incapable of separating­ politics and sport.Their culture is light years behind­ the civilized world,and with actions like this ,will­ remain there.

    From carlos480bc, on Wed 18 Feb 7:09PM

  8. SOME OFF THE COMMENTS ON THIS MESSAGE BOARD IS NOTHING­ TO DO WITH TENNIS. PLEASE STOP THESE STUPID PEOPLE­ POSTING ON HERE PLEASE YAHOO.

    From AJ, on Wed 18 Feb 6:41PM

  9. larry scott should be replaced by binladen

    From wen, on Wed 18 Feb 5:41PM

  10. viva israel

    From wen, on Wed 18 Feb 5:40PM

  11. UAE doctors are not allowed to enter GAZA...is a wrong­ statement...Their government in every muslim countries­ do not allowed their citizens to enter any part of­ ISRAEL...that´s the point...DUTCHIE!!!!

    From JOMA, on Wed 18 Feb 4:48PM

  12. company who are sponsors of dubai atp/wta are­ terrorists supporters and symphatizers as well.

    From wen, on Wed 18 Feb 12:30PM

  13. wta and atp tour organizers are having double standards­ in dealing with this kind of serious issue.they should­ make an action now,not next year.

    From wen, on Wed 18 Feb 12:15PM

  14. this is tennis,sports not dirty politics or extremist­ jihad religion of tournament.

    From wen, on Wed 18 Feb 12:13PM

  15. Dutchie - UA doctors are not allowed to go to gaza =­ Shahar cannot play at a WTA event in UAE. Now I see­ it!!! Well that is clearly connected. Maybe she is­ cloned and her versions guard the checkpoint in Gaza.­ some other replicas of her play on WTA. Thousands of­ Shahars are in gaza killing little children:-(­ That's what I call modern justice. Someone is not­ allowed to enter gaza and Shahar will not get her visa.­ great stuff!

    From risimko, on Wed 18 Feb 10:14AM

  16. pull-out wta and atp tournaments in dubai.

    the refusal­ of visa to player is useless and pointless.
    so stupid­ tournament officials!

    From werewolf_paris, on Wed 18 Feb 10:13AM

  17. As a long-term resident of Dubai and a long-term­ visitor of the tennis tournament, I cannot be happy­ with what is going on. But you have to understand this:­ UAE doctors are not allowed to enter the Gaza strip to­ help victims of the Israeli attacks. Now I do not claim­ you should meet violence with violence but I can­ understand the stance of the UAE... although sport­ should always be separated from politics.
    From Dutchie

    From v_sterel, on Wed 18 Feb 9:59AM

  18. All you faithful Allah followers should primarily­ realise that this is about Shahar playing tennis. If­ you want to make jewish free tournament go ahead but­ not under the supervision of WTA - only civilized­ manners are allowed there not such as preventing a­ young girl from playing her tennis. That's­ ridiculous and typical for weak men fighting their war­ on the wrong place and with the wrong enemy...

    From risimko, on Wed 18 Feb 9:46AM

  19. All israellis should spend just one minute, and think­ that there no such thing as antisemiticm.

    If all­ israellis want other NATIONS to love them then they­ should start love others too.
    How can you expect others­ to like you when you are brutal?

    From SabadB, on Wed 18 Feb 9:36AM

  20. There are many lay off in Dubai is still­ tolerable.

    Can you tolerate a nation to exist. All­ israelli hate the antisemiticsm. People hate israelli­ beacuse of what they do not because­ antisemiticsm.

    What kind of God who chose a nation

    TO­ KILL others
    To break international laws
    To think that­ they are the chosen to do any bad things in the world.

    From SabadB, on Wed 18 Feb 9:30AM
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