Aussie Open guidelines don’t apply to Novak Djokovic

But once more, the most important sports activities got down to show that the principles don’t apply to the moneymakers — even when the principles are within the curiosity of public well being and ending an ongoing pandemic. Twenty-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic can be allowed to play within the Australian Open after receiving a medical exemption from the event’s vaccine requirement. In a statement, Australian Open officers claimed that the exemption was “granted following a rigorous assessment course of involving two separate impartial panels of medical specialists.” The knowledgeable panel, they wrote, was “made up of docs from the fields of immunology, infectious illness, and basic follow.”

Djokovic, who has received the Australian Open a file 9 instances, had beforehand declined to disclose his vaccination standing. (Aspect be aware: have we had a vaccinated athlete “decline to disclose their vaccination standing” but? Don’t consider so.) Per the Australian Open, he would have both wanted to have contracted COVID inside the final six months or wanted to current an “acute main medical situation” to obtain a medical exemption, which basically tells us that Novak Djokovic — except he’s hiding some form of main medical situation from the general public that stops him from getting vaccinated however permits him to play a Grand Slam — was exempted for the only real purpose of his being Novak Djokovic.

In the identical method that Aaron Rodgers confronted zero penalties about mendacity to the press and never following NFL mandates for unvaccinated gamers, or in the way in which that Antonio Brown’s faux vaccination card was swept underneath the rug after a fast suspension, the sports activities world exhibits us but once more it doesn’t matter for those who’re placing your self and others in danger so long as you’re good! In the event you can win, who cares about life-saving vaccines? You’re bringing in cash! Irrespective of that the demise fee of unvaccinated COVID sufferers is considerably increased than that of those that are vaccinated. Don’t let it slip by you that if he wins, he’ll be breaking a three-way tie for the file for Grand Slam wins, which might be an infinite rankings increase.

In an Instagram put up, Djokovic wrote that he was “heading Down Below” after wishing everybody “well being, love, and happiness” and writing, “could you all really feel love & respect towards all beings on this planet.” A contact ironic, don’t you assume? He’ll little doubt be dealing with a troublesome crowd in Melbourne later this month. Djokovic previously contracted COVID in June of 2020 after taking part in in a collection of exhibition matches that he himself organized that didn’t embrace any social distancing for gamers or followers. Shocker.