Posted on 02/19/2009 12:13:51 PM PST by nickcarraway
Israeli tennis player Andy Ram will be allowed to play in a premier Dubai tennis tournament after the Arab country said it would permit the No. 7-ranked doubles player to enter the country.
The Persian Gulf country banned Israeli women's tennis star Shahar Peer earlier this week from entering the UAE to participate in the lucrative Dubai Tennis Championships. Organizers said they feared fan anger over Israel's recent military offensive in the Gaza Strip would spill into riots in the Arab country if Peer were to play.
After Peer was barred, the tennis world harshly criticized the UAE for its ban of Israelis, and top past and present women players, including Billie Jean King, also came to Peer's defense.
Tennis governing officials warned that future tennis events in Dubai could be in doubt if the Emirates, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, continued to ban Israelis. And the ATP, which runs the men's tournament, gave the Emirates a Friday evening deadline to decide whether to grant Ram a visa.
ATP president Adam Helfant described the Emirates' decision as the "right" one.
"No player, who qualifies to play an ATP World Tour event, should be denied their right to compete on the basis of ethnicity, nationality or religion and we are happy that the Dubai Tennis Championships and the UAE have shown that they share that view," Helfant said in a statement.
Ram's lawyer, Amit Naor, said the Israeli was playing in France and had not yet been notified of the decision.
"I hope that this is a breakthrough and marks the end to these types of things. Obviously, we battled to get a player into a tournament. I'm glad that we succeeded," Naor said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
I am suprised terrorists have not hit Dubai yet...
Are you kidding?
That’s where jihadis goes to get financing, loans, ideological support from Saudi mullahs.
Heck, there’s tons of money there.
There’s a defacto agreement, Dubai shelters bigtime crooks and jihadis, their financial system works superbly for transferring and laundering money.
And they also know that since so many Western companies are there, and the revenue from Dubai is important to them, Western Governments will, as they have, turn a blind eye to the jihadi sponsorship emanating from there.
Everyone plays there.
Money talks, with the filthy Muslims of the UAE. It was the threat of cancellation of future tennis events in this cesspit that convinced them to think otherwise.
I don’t get it..., why did they not also allow Shahar Peer to come to the tournament? Or did I read that wrong?
I was wondering the same thing. It says nothing about the decision about her being reversed.
bare arms, bare legs, and no hajib.
Ha, they ARE the terrorists!
UAE and Pakistan were the only countries who recognized the Taliban.
These fanatics fund Jihad and Shariah around the world.
Well, that would normally be true — but — I’m sure this wasn’t an “all male” tournament. So, that means the “bare arms, bare legs, and no hajib” only applies to Israelis...
Not much being said about it but Dubai is circling the financial drain. Laid off foreigners are fleeing by the thousands. I got an email from that part of the world the other day. My friend said that there were some 3000 abandoned cars sitting in airport parking lots.
Apparently Dubai has debtors prisons.
The UAE might have blocked Ram had not the backlash from the blocking of Peer raised the specter that next week's tournament would be cancelled.
Okay, so it’s too late for the woman tennis player, while it’s not for the guy. Well, she should get damages from someone for that kind of treatment...
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