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Last update - 18:59 15/02/2009
UAE denies Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer visa for tournament
By News Agencies
Tags: shahar peer, israel news 

The United Arab Emirates has refused to grant a visa to Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer to take part in a $2 million tournament in Dubai this week, the women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour said.

"We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the United Arab Emirates denying Shahar Peer a visa that would permit her to enter the country to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships," WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said.

The board of directors will now meet to discuss the future of the Dubai tournament. WTA rules insist that any player should be allowed to play at any event on the tour.
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The Dubai Tennis Championship is one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious events and this week features every player from the world's top 10 except the injured Nadia Petrova.

But like most Arab countries, the UAE has no diplomatic ties with the Israel, and Israelis are routinely denied entry.

Dubai Duty Free, owners and organizers of the event, have made no comment. There was no immediate comment from the UAE government.

"All the players support Shahar," said Venus Williams, who is in Dubai for the tournament. "We are all athletes and we stand for tennis. The players have to be unified and support the tour whichever direction they take on the issue."

Added French Open champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia: "I really don't like sports to be mixed with politics."

Peer's brother and spokesman, Shlomi Peer, said the 21-year-old player applied for a visa months in advance and was assured by tournament organizers that she would be allowed entry.

"Ms. Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally," said the statement by Scott.

"The WTA believes very strongly and has a clear rule and policy that no host country should deny a player the right to compete in a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking," Scott said.

Peer had planned to travel to Dubai from Thailand, where she lost in the
semifinal of the Pattaya Open to fifth-ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia on
Saturday. She is expected to return to Israel Sunday, and could not be reached for comment.

Peer, a former top 20 player currently ranked 48, became the first Israeli to play in a tour event in the Gulf Arab region when she took part in the Qatar Open in February 2008.

Qatar, which had low-level ties with Israel including an Israeli trade office in its capital, suspended those relations in protest against the three-week Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip that ended in January.

At the time, Peer said she had received a warm welcome in Doha.

"I really got a warm welcome from the tournament," Peer said. "When you go on the court you don't think about politics. You just want to play your tennis. They treat me really nice. I feel very comfortable."

"I'm not coming here to help the politics of course, but if by me playing in this tournament it can help anything in the world, for peace or anything, I'll be really happy," she said.

The Gaza offensive, which killed 1,300 Palestinians and 14 Israelis, caused deep anger around the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Related articles:
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  • Peer loses to top seed in semifinal
  • Israeli tennis star Shahar Peer faces Gaza protest while playing in New Zealand
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      1.   drop the tournament 14:11  |  o yeah no way 15/02/09
      2.   World Tennis Association show your mettle 15:01  |  Ari ben Yisrael 15/02/09
      3.   There is no right to travel 18:03  |  Mike 15/02/09
      4.   Israel has done the same. 18:06  |  Benjamina 15/02/09
      5.   What happened to sport and politics don`t mix? 18:42  |  James 15/02/09
      6.   Visa 18:49  |  Marc 15/02/09
      7.   # 3 james 19:02  |  Axel 15/02/09
      8.   Protest to WTA - Ban the event 19:08  |  Nomi 15/02/09
      9.   Nothing new or surprising here... 19:58  |  flyingdoc57 15/02/09
      10.   Typical 20:35  |  utagawa 15/02/09
      11.   but they would allow meshal or hanyieh to visit 20:44  |  vik 15/02/09
      12.   dubai 20:50  |  reemo 15/02/09
      13.   WTA should stay out of it 22:08  |  Dave Duncan 15/02/09
      14.   # 4 Benjamina....I didn`t like it 22:13  |  Lynn 15/02/09
      15.   So Proud to be an Arab 22:13  |  Nadine 15/02/09
      16.   Leviev sell settlement-financing diamonds in Duba, but no tennis! 22:15  |  ted 15/02/09
      17.   To # 2 22:21  |  Canadian 15/02/09
      18.   To Nadine, the "proud arab" 00:53  |  hebro 16/02/09
      19.   to nadine 01:03  |  X 16/02/09
      20.   After the Gaza bloodbath, Im not surprised 01:14  |  Gisele 16/02/09
      21.   DUNCAN when this is allowed where does it stop? 05:48  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      22.   You Must add that 5 of Isreaelis Killed by Friendly Fire... 06:05  |  Monitor 16/02/09
      23.   Has someone call that racist? 06:22  |  dan 16/02/09
      24.   Mike in London 07:12  |  x-ray 16/02/09
      25.   Shahar is a heroine 07:27  |  elior from Iran 16/02/09
      26.   GISELLE After the endless bloodbaths in Lebanon 07:28  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      27.   More Arab Radicalism 09:51  |  Baruch Gold 16/02/09
      28.   #15 Lebanese Christians are not Arabs. Lebanon is terrorist state 10:03  |  EgyptJewRefugee 16/02/09
      29.   had to happen 10:09  |  ravi 16/02/09
      30.   to poster #1 10:38  |  ..... 16/02/09
      31.   RAVI .Keep your head down.Your brothers in Pakistan 10:40  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      32.   Protest Sponsors 11:01  |  Bobby Norwich 17/02/09
      33.   Tournament meaning 12:12  |  Nir 17/02/09
      34.   Peer Barred 16:52  |  Tex 18/02/09
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