An old cliche says that sports and politics should never mix, but this week in Dubai politics and bigotry will take center stage.
The United Arab Emirates has denied entrance to Israel’s Shahar Peer in a decision that has left the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour “deeply disappointed.”
Peer was set to become the first Israeli player to enter a tournament in the Arab state, but on the eve of the event, the UAE has forbidden her entry and denied her visa.
The Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships is one of the largest non-Grand Slam events on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar, and the tournament was only awarded to Dubai upon the stipulation that officials permit players of any nationality who qualified.
“We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) denying Shahar Peer a Visa that would permit her to enter the country to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships,” said Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott in a statement released on Sunday.
“Ms. Peer has earned the right to play in the tournament and it is regrettable that the UAE is denying her this right.”
While the tournament will be played this week in Dubai, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has stated that they will review the tournament’s decision and its future on the Tour calendar.
“Following various consultations, the Tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week, pending further review by the Tour’s Board of Directors,” continued Scott.
“Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and 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.”
The controversy with Dubai forces the Tour into an awkward situation. For an organization which promotes equality as vigorously as the WTA Tour, this matter needs to have profound ramifications.
Critics have stated that the Tour was sending mixed signals by signing landmark sponsorship and tournament agreements with Arab nations, as many of these countries have a centuries old culture of gender abuse, suppression and a failure to accept others of different ethnicities.
“The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour believes very strongly, and has a clear rule and policy, that no host country should deny a player the right to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking,” added Scott.
Well Mr. Scott, will you and the WTA kindly stick to your principles and call for a player boycott (it’s not too late)? Or has too much money exchanged hands? Yeah, a boycott would be costly for the contestants in terms of cash (not to mention inconvenient in terms of travel) but a boycott would reap a great moral reward while sending an unambiguous message that such naked intolerance is an abomination and completely unacceptable. No one is holding their breath until you make the right decision (but you’ve already decided). But, c’mon Larry! Change your mind and take a stand for civil/social/world justice. No racial prejudice in tennis (or any other sport)!
I think the WTA Tour should cancel this tournament immediately, and if I were a player, I would definitely boycott it.
in principle i agree with you Mr. Spaulding.
I just want to say that the article “Politics and Tennis Mix in Dubai” correctly points out the act of bigotry by the UAE denying Peer admittance. However, how is the WTA any worse if the tour’s administrators (and the players) go along and play the event?
In my opinion, an athlete should first and foremost embody the discipline and values of sportsmanship, not activism. And no doubt the leaders of the Dubai event would want the rest of the WTA players to behave like athletes and continue to support the event. But it is precisely through this act of punitively denying Shahar Peer a chance to play that they are forcing her (and others who dislike bigotry) to reexamine the line between athleticism and activism.
On the other hand, would the line be any clearer (and would the tour’s correct response be any clearer) if the situation was one in which a prominent tennis event prevented Venus Williams from playing because she is black? Sadly, when I look at the names of those headlining the Dubai event (Serena, Dementieva, Jankovic, Safina) I don’t see the inner fortitude or conviction of those from a generation past (Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King) in order to protest.
Larry Scott will probably cowardly appease those with power and go along with Shahar Peer’s exclusion while he maintains a lazer-like focus on current and future proceeds generated from Dubai.
===AT THE VERY LEAST==== mr.Scott should announce that the WTA will not count player ranking points earned there as the WTA launches a review as to whether on not Dubai will continue to be a sanctioned event.
Anythingbutlove, you raised a very good point about the ranking points.
Dubai is a premier tournament, so by not playing, Peer will lose out on valuable points, not to mention a significant amount of prize money. I wonder how the WTA plans to compensate her?
Yes it’s hugely regretteable, but maybe the tour is compromised by it’s eagerness to go after big revenue options.
In light of the Israeli Defence Forces recent operations in Gaza this visa denial was always likely to be a domestic political reality for the UAE, maybe over and above bigotry.
If money and politics were not a consideration in sport then the olympics wouldn’t have been held in China.
It’s sad that the careers of Shahar Peer and Sania Mirza are as much the subject of identity politics as tennis. I’m sure the girls just want to focus on their sport rather than BEING sport for all and sundry.
Tennis should be an instrument of good international relations and building bridges, but alas..
anythingbutlove: Your profession should not override your humanity. Before you become a doctor or carpenter, a lawyer or a farmer, an artist or an athlete, you are first and foremost a human being with certain “inalienable” rights. Everyone has these rights; everyone must recognize these human rights. And when these rights are violated all humanity suffers. We should certainly never allow our jobs to interfere with our capacity to care and support each other.
When we stand against bigotry and prejudice it is not activism. It is an expression of our inherent compassion and fundamental decency towards all humanity.
“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.”- Lennon and McCartney, I AM THE WALRUS.
This is definitely a situation of politics not bigotry like the article tries to make it.
Having worked in the UAE, it is by far the most tolerant (save maybe Qatar) of the Arab states, with a large and diverse expat community (including Israelis). Frankly, I’m a little surprised that they would do this — since Dubai is especially famous for focusing on generating good publicity (see: largest, tallest, most-diamond-studded etc.)
If only everything in life was black and white, no shades of gray, then such notions of ‘sports and politics not mixing’, and ‘a level playing field’ in sport will hold true. But, in the real world, it will be bordering on foolhardiness to think there are no overlaps or gray areas at some point.
Some of these athletes are celebrated and elevated in their home nations. Some are seemingly seen as embodiments of what is great and good about the nations they represent. I think it will be a bit naïve to think these players are not in some way influenced by the prevailing ‘socio-political’ climates in their various nations. More so when ‘prominent’ countries are involved, even some segments of the media and commentators of the sport will make sure you are aware of it. It is part of the human condition, the success of such an athlete lends itself to the potential of great esteem or possible tinges of abuse.
I would love it if the ‘ideals’ of the sport being bigger than any individual player (their ‘baggage’, ‘issues’ or ‘lucrative endorsements’) or tournament was an enshrined and a ‘sacred’ principle. But, that is sometimes a farce given the amount of influence financial sponsorship and the media exert on sporting tournaments these days.
I have nothing against Shahar Peer tennis wise (she is a promising talent) or the U.A.E for that matter (I don’t think they took this decision lightly, plus they are sinking a lot of money into hosting the tournament), just a scenario for one to ponder….
What if Peer was coming to this tournament with her current history, and in addition, the WTA no.1 ranking and the mega corporate advertising deals, blah blah. Would the companies put pressure on the UAE authorities, will the UAE not pander to anyone’s interests and stand by their ‘principles’, will they allow her to exhibit her No.1 tennis ranking talents on their esteemed stage…. Just a thought…
It is nice to just watch a good game of tennis on court and forget about the ‘little games’ that go on sometimes behind the scenes…wishful thinking maybe???
To Robert K first. Although the UAE and Qatar has been diverse in the past, they have their fellow extremist nations to deal with and might have thought that any censure from the Islamic fundamentalist table may have been worse than a slap on the wrist from the WTA. enough speculation though. The WTA should pull out of Dubai after this tournament. They should set up a plan on how to deal with any of these situations in the future so that rules are set into place. But if there was already a stipulation w Dubai that all players had to be accepted then the WTA should have cancelled the tournment immediately this week because the UAE renigged on their deal. I too believe, like the critics mentioned in the articles, that I find it odd that the WTA would go after the money in Dubai and Qatar where women have been oppressed. The WTA has a gender equality program but what good is that when they don’t impact the nations that are oppressing women. All in all, for the sake of money, the WTA stepped into dangerous territory. The ATP holds their end tourney in London where there will be a lot of support as opposed to Qatar where hardly anyone showed up. It is odd that given USA is at war with Islamic extemists, why the WIlliams are allowed in. IS it because of their money-draw?
You are wrong about King. Reuters carried this story about her response:
Billie Jean King says Peer’s Dubai ban shameful
Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:02am IST Email | Print | Share| Single Page[-] Text [+]
1 of 1Full SizeBy Kylie MacLellan
LONDON (Reuters) – Former tennis champion and equal rights campaigner Billie Jean King has described the refusal to grant Israeli player Shahar Peer an entry visa to Dubai as shameful.
The United Arab Emirates, which has no diplomatic links with Israel, denied the world number 45 a visa, preventing her from competing in this week’s Dubai Championships. The decision has prompted widespread criticism from players and officials.
“The United Arab Emirates’ refusal to grant a visa to Shahar Peer and preventing her from competing at this week’s Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Dubai is shameful and definitely a step backwards,” King said in a statement.
“In the 21st century there is no reason a person should be restricted from doing his or her job because of their nationality, creed, race, gender or sexual orientation.”
The refusal to issue Peer a visa violates WTA Tour rules, which state any player should be able to compete where she wishes if she has the required ranking.
American King, 65, who won 39 grand slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles tennis titles during her career, founded the WTA in 1973 and has been an ardent campaigner for equality in sport.
“Given the progress we have made in providing equal rights and opportunities for all, I trust the WTA Tour will look closely at the events in Dubai and take every step possible to ensure this type of distraction never happens again,” she said.
The political row is expected to rumble on because Israeli doubles player Andy Ram is in the field for the men’s tournament in Dubai next week.
(Editing by John Mehaffey)
Hi Jean,
Thank you for pointing out Reuters’s article quoting Billie Jean King. However, the “Looking for a Hero” article that mentioned King’s silence on the issue was published on February 17, two days before Reuters published King’s statement and five days after Dubai denied Peer’s visa.