The WTA levied a $300,000 fine on the organizers of the Dubai Tennis Championships, more than twice as much as the previous record fine, after Shahar Pe'er was denied a visa from Dubai. The WTA also took steps to compensate Pe'er and her doubles partner for lost income and tour points as a result of being banned from the tournament. Pe'er will receive $44,250 from the fine and 130 ranking points, equivalent to what she earned in the same week last year. Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany, her doubles partner, will receive $7,950, roughly equal to her average weekly doubles earnings last year. The balance of the fine will go to a charity selected by the WTA and Pe'er.
The WTA felt justified in fining the tournament organizers in part due to their association with Dubai Duty Free, a company owned by the Dubai government. In addition, the tournament is: "Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai."
In announcing the fine, WTA CEO Larry Scott told the AP: "I think what we hope with this decision is that we're sending a very clear message that we're not going to tolerate discrimination of any kind. We wanted to send a clear signal that this is the most egregious action the world of tennis has seen in recent history. And we felt that it should be at least double what the previous highest penalty was."
The WTA is taking all the right steps so far. With the granting of a visa to Andy Ram for next week's ATP tournament, it is clear that Dubai is getting the message. Hopefully, there will not be a repeat of this affair next year and there will be no need to remove this tournament from Dubai permanently. However, it cannot stop with tennis. Israel is systematically excluded from competition in Arab states. It is forced to compete in European competitions instead of Asian because Arab states refused to allow it to compete in their groups. These boycotts must end. The Olympic movement must end its tacit acceptance of this discrimination and stand up for what is right and fair and just. It's long past time to end anti-Semitism in world sport.
Cross-posted with SportsBiz - The Business of Sports Illuminated
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Saturday, February 28, 2009
WTA Fines Dubai $300,000 For Pe'er Ban
The WTA levied a $300,000 fine on the organizers of the Dubai Tennis Championships, more than twice as much as the previous record fine, after Shahar Pe'er was denied a visa from Dubai. The WTA also took steps to compensate Pe'er and her doubles partner for lost income and tour points as a result of being banned from the tournament. Pe'er will receive $44,250 from the fine and 130 ranking points, equivalent to what she earned in the same week last year. Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany, her doubles partner, will receive $7,950, roughly equal to her average weekly doubles earnings last year. The balance of the fine will go to a charity selected by the WTA and Pe'er.
The WTA felt justified in fining the tournament organizers in part due to their association with Dubai Duty Free, a company owned by the Dubai government. In addition, the tournament is: "Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai."
In announcing the fine, WTA CEO Larry Scott told the AP: "I think what we hope with this decision is that we're sending a very clear message that we're not going to tolerate discrimination of any kind. We wanted to send a clear signal that this is the most egregious action the world of tennis has seen in recent history. And we felt that it should be at least double what the previous highest penalty was."
The WTA is taking all the right steps so far. With the granting of a visa to Andy Ram for next week's ATP tournament, it is clear that Dubai is getting the message. Hopefully, there will not be a repeat of this affair next year and there will be no need to remove this tournament from Dubai permanently. However, it cannot stop with tennis. Israel is systematically excluded from competition in Arab states. It is forced to compete in European competitions instead of Asian because Arab states refused to allow it to compete in their groups. These boycotts must end. The Olympic movement must end its tacit acceptance of this discrimination and stand up for what is right and fair and just. It's long past time to end anti-Semitism in world sport.
The WTA felt justified in fining the tournament organizers in part due to their association with Dubai Duty Free, a company owned by the Dubai government. In addition, the tournament is: "Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai."
In announcing the fine, WTA CEO Larry Scott told the AP: "I think what we hope with this decision is that we're sending a very clear message that we're not going to tolerate discrimination of any kind. We wanted to send a clear signal that this is the most egregious action the world of tennis has seen in recent history. And we felt that it should be at least double what the previous highest penalty was."
The WTA is taking all the right steps so far. With the granting of a visa to Andy Ram for next week's ATP tournament, it is clear that Dubai is getting the message. Hopefully, there will not be a repeat of this affair next year and there will be no need to remove this tournament from Dubai permanently. However, it cannot stop with tennis. Israel is systematically excluded from competition in Arab states. It is forced to compete in European competitions instead of Asian because Arab states refused to allow it to compete in their groups. These boycotts must end. The Olympic movement must end its tacit acceptance of this discrimination and stand up for what is right and fair and just. It's long past time to end anti-Semitism in world sport.
Dubai Will Grant Israeli Men's Tennis Player a Visa
In the continuing saga of Dubai's blatant discriminatory treatment of Jewish athletes, comes word that the emirate is going to grant a visa to Israeli Andy Ram allowing him to play in next week's ATP Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. Apparently, following US pressure and a realization that perhaps they made a public relations blunder, Dubai officials have changed their mind. It may also be an attempt to salvage both tennis tournaments, as there are serious moves afoot to remove the WTA event from the next year's calendar.
In related news, the Sweden-Israel Davis Cup match to be played March6-8, in Malmo, Sweden, will be played before an empty stadium. The Malmo recreational committee, citing security concerns, decided to ban spectators from the stadium. The International Tennis Federation, in a typically feckless statement, reacted to the ban: "“very unfortunate” and “not in the long-term interests of the Davis Cup," but took no action. The ITF deferred to the local authhority. Again, imagine the outcry, if this had been done in Israel.
Cross-posted with SportsBiz - The Business of Sports Illuminated
In related news, the Sweden-Israel Davis Cup match to be played March6-8, in Malmo, Sweden, will be played before an empty stadium. The Malmo recreational committee, citing security concerns, decided to ban spectators from the stadium. The International Tennis Federation, in a typically feckless statement, reacted to the ban: "“very unfortunate” and “not in the long-term interests of the Davis Cup," but took no action. The ITF deferred to the local authhority. Again, imagine the outcry, if this had been done in Israel.
Cross-posted with SportsBiz - The Business of Sports Illuminated
Tennis Channel Won't Televise Dubai Open
The Tennis Channel is refusing to televise the Barclays Duabi Tennis Championships this weekend to protest the emirate's refusal to grant a visa to Israeli tennis star Shahar Pe'er to allow her to play in the tournament. According to Ken Solomon, chairman and CEO of the network: "This is an easy decision to come by, based on what is right and wrong. Sports are about merit, absent of background, class, race, creed, color or religion. They are simply about talent. This is a classic case, not about what country did what to another country. If the state of Israel were barring a citizen of an Arab nation, we would have made the same."
It's good to see the Tennis Channel stand up for Pe'er. You can bet that had the roles been reversed and it was Israel that had refused a visa to an Arab tennis player for participation in a tournament in Israel, it would have been front page news around the world. There would have been denunciations coming from world capitals around the world and calls for immediate sessions of the UN Security Council to enforce an economic boycott on Israel for the injustice against humanity. The outcries would have been led by America's staunchest European allies, well, maybe not the UK. What is most interesting here is the deafening silence which with this affair has been greeted outside the sporting world.
Cross-posted with SportsBiz - The Business of Sports Illuminated
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Israeli Hoops Ambassador to the WNBA
A 5 foot 9 inch teenager from a Tel Aviv suburb is armed witih a dream, to play professional basketball in the United States. Her parents are supportive, as many parents are around the world, only these parents, athletes themselves, have a good idea of what it takes to make it as a professional athlete and know that to beat the odds it will help if their daughter goes to college in the US. So, to increase the odds of getting a scholarship, the family picks up and moves to Long Island and Shay Doron enrolls at a Catholic high school which has produced Chamique Hosclaw and Sue Bird, becoming the only Jewish student at her school.
Flash forward two years and Doron enrolls at Maryland, a program rebuilding. Before she leaves, Doron leads the Terps to the national championship. Last month, at the WNBA draft, she waits, watches as the first round goes by and her name is not called. The second round comes and as the New York Liberty's, her "hometown" team, turn rolls around, the team's Vice President of Player Personnel is staring at her as she makes picks Doron. Shay's childhood dream comes true; she is the only Israeli in the WNBA.
Doron is not just any 5'9" guard, however. “She has the skills and mentality to play in this league, absolutely,” Liberty Coach Pat Coyle said. “Every day she competes. This is her life. This is her dream. She won’t be satisfied until she’s starting and is an impact player. I can’t ever see that kid not working.”
However, what really separates Doron is that she sees herself as an ambassador for Israel. She is not serving in the Israeli Defense Force since she has been living outside the country but sees herself as serving the country as a roving ambassador. She encourages everyone she meets to visit Israel and perhaps even move there. She anticipates using the "fame" associated with being a WNBA player as a platform to educate more people about the situation Israel finds itself in every day and the lives Israelis are living, as well as the good things that are going on inside the country. Playing in the world's media capital can only help, as this New York Times article proves.
Flash forward two years and Doron enrolls at Maryland, a program rebuilding. Before she leaves, Doron leads the Terps to the national championship. Last month, at the WNBA draft, she waits, watches as the first round goes by and her name is not called. The second round comes and as the New York Liberty's, her "hometown" team, turn rolls around, the team's Vice President of Player Personnel is staring at her as she makes picks Doron. Shay's childhood dream comes true; she is the only Israeli in the WNBA.
Doron is not just any 5'9" guard, however. “She has the skills and mentality to play in this league, absolutely,” Liberty Coach Pat Coyle said. “Every day she competes. This is her life. This is her dream. She won’t be satisfied until she’s starting and is an impact player. I can’t ever see that kid not working.”
However, what really separates Doron is that she sees herself as an ambassador for Israel. She is not serving in the Israeli Defense Force since she has been living outside the country but sees herself as serving the country as a roving ambassador. She encourages everyone she meets to visit Israel and perhaps even move there. She anticipates using the "fame" associated with being a WNBA player as a platform to educate more people about the situation Israel finds itself in every day and the lives Israelis are living, as well as the good things that are going on inside the country. Playing in the world's media capital can only help, as this New York Times article proves.
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