Australia's Migration Minister Alex Hawke announced today the cancellation of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic's visa, after an appeal court overturned a previous decision in this regard and just days before he began his participation in the Australian Open.
"Today I have exercised my powers under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel Novak Djokovic's visa on public health and public order grounds, considering it to be in the public interest," Hawke said in a statement.
Hawke stressed that the decision comes after the January 10 court ruling, overturning a previous cancellation decision, and added that in doing so he "carefully considered the information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Djokovic."
"The Government (of Australian Prime Minister Scott) Morrison is firmly committed to protecting Australia's borders, particularly in relation to the coronavirus pandemic."
"I thank the officials of the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia's interests in increasingly challenging operating environments," Hawke said.
The controversy started last week, when authorities prevented the tennis player from entering the country for not complying with the requirements for entry into the country in relation to its strict measures against the coronavirus, which include being vaccinated.
The world number one and nine-time Australian Open champion is in Melbourne training for his title defence and awaiting a decision that was scheduled for Tuesday, but has been delayed after his lawyers submitted more documents.