JERUSALEM — The Tennis Channel canceled its coverage of a Dubai
tournament over the decision not to grant an entry visa to an Israeli
player.
The United Arab Emirates on Feb. 14 informed Shahar Pe’er that it
would not allow her to enter the country to play in the Barclays Dubai
Tennis Championships with its $2 million first prize. Pe’er, ranked
48th in the world, was scheduled to play Russian Anna Chakvetadze in
the first round.
“The entire field of competitors is diminished by this happening,"
Ken Solomon, the chairman and chief executive of The Tennis Channel
network, told The New York Times. "It hurts them all. Shahar earned the
right to be in the tournament. She’s been on a roll and could have won
it. It’s just hard to imagine this happening in this day and age.”
Larry Scott, chairman and chief executive officer of the Women’s
Tennis Association, told the Times that UAE officials did not tell him
why Pe’er was denied a visa, though he said Israel’s recent military
action in Gaza may have played a large part in the decision. He told
the newspaper, however, that he knew for the last year that it would be
difficult for Pe’er to get permission to play in Dubai.
Meanwhile, a major U.S. tour company canceled its tours to Dubai
because of the visa incident. IsramWorld — which operates tours to 56
countries on five continents, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan and
Turkey — called the UAE’s decision "an odious act of political
bigotry."
"It reveals that despite its massive investment in tourism
infrastructure, Dubai appears not ready to be a member of the world
tourism family," said A. Ady Gelber, president and CEO of IsramWorld.
"I am deeply disappointed in the UAE’s decision, one that seems to
spell a return to the grim dark days of division and discrimination."
