Wed Jan 5, 2022 – 1:32 pm ESTWed Jan 5, 2022 – 1:33 pm EST
MELBOURNE, Australia (LifeSiteNews) — Australian officials have denied entry to the country for tennis superstar Novak Djokovic after border control discovered a discrepancy in his visa application, reports say. The Serbian tennis player had been granted a medical exemption to the COVID jab requirement to participate in the Australian Open (set to start on January 17).
After landing in Melbourne Wednesday, the world’s number one was not permitted to proceed past Australian Border Force (ABF) due to an alleged mistake on his visa application, The Times reported.
According to the report, Djokovic’s team had submitted an application which does not work for those who have received a medical exemption to the country’s strict COVID jab requirement for international travellers. Consequently, Djokovic was held at the airport in Melbourne and questioned by ABF staff while the federal government attempted to liaise with the local authorities in Victoria to correct the application.
Jaala Pulford, Victoria’s acting Minister for Sports, announced on social media that the federal government had requested intervention from the state government to support Djokovic’s entry into the country.
“We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open grand slam,” she declared. “We’ve always been clear on
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