An attempt to help rescue the troubled WTA Dubai Open has been made by a tournament statement suggesting that security is a major consideration behind the handling of the Shahar Peer affair.
The Israeli player was refused a visa into the United Arab Emirates (UAE), preventing her from playing in this week’s women’s tournament, and causing the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to consider abandoning it, potentially placing at risk the future of international sports in Dubai.
The WTA has made clear that the end of the 17-year-old US$2 million event remains a real possibility next year if the situation does not change — but now the Dubai Open has moved to show that it could.
Its statement said that among the essential reasons for the UAE’s decision to deny Peer a visa were local public opinion following the Gaza conflict, the risk of a spectator boycott and a potential threat to the well-being of the player.
This shifts the area of debate from the introduction of politics into sport — which caused the WTA to say that one of its inviolable principles had been broken — to more practical issues, which might change over the course of year.
It seems likely the ATP will try to take advantage of this stance while dealing with the situation of another Israeli player, Andy Ram, who is said to be seeking a visa for entry to next week’s men’s Dubai Open. If so, and if Ram gets the same treatment as Peer, the men’s governing body will probably seek clarification of the decision, with the likelihood that security issues rather than pure politics are cited. This would make possible an earlier discussion of practicalities rather then principles and perhaps introduce a little negotiating room that might offer a chance to save the future of the tournament.
The situation has deteriorated with remarkable speed given that the UAE has invested such huge amounts of money into tennis over many years, and if the WTA and the ATP pull out of Dubai it could have far reaching consequences for the country’s growing status as a major player in world sports.
The repercussions could be felt beyond tennis if competitors from other sports are refused entry to the country or sponsorship deals are reconsidered as a result of the ban.
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