'Politics and sports don't mix,' Israeli tennis player says after UAE ban

Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer said Monday that politics and sports should not be mixed after the United Arab Emirates denied her a visa into the countru, ostensibly banning her from playing in Dubai's premier tournament.

Peer said she was upset, both personally and professionally, over Dubai's decision, but said she felt buoyed by the support of her fellow players.

"I am very disappointed that I have been prevented from playing in the Dubai tournament," she told the Associated Press in a statement. "I think a red line has been crossed here that could harm the purity of the sport and other sports. I have always believed that politics and sports should not be mixed."

The United Arab Emirates rejected Peer's visa request a day before she was to arrive for the Dubai Tennis Championships, a joint ATP and WTA event, which includes all the top-10 women's players.

Peer, 21, ranked 48th, had qualified and was already placed in the woman's bracket. She was scheduled to play Monday against 15th-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

Organizers gave Peer no reason for the rejection, but it appeared to be due to anti-Israel sentiments in the Gulf state, particularly after last month's three-week war between Israel and Islamic militants in Gaza.

"I don't know exactly why and what, but I can assume that it is because she is Israeli, and not because she has brown eyes," said her brother and manager, Shlomi Peer.

The ban on Peer is just the latest diplomatic fallout for Israel from its Gaza offensive, aimed at halting years of rocket fire toward Israeli towns.

The offensive, which killed some 1,300 Palestinians, was heavily criticized around the world and sparked a public spat with the leader of Turkey, war crimes allegations and broken ties with Venezuela, Bolivia and Qatar.

Shlomi Peer said that this was the first time his sister's Israeli citizenship has ever prevented her from playing professionally. Last year, she played in Doha, Qatar. At the time, the Gulf Arab country had low-level ties with Israel. She had hoped the precedent would allow her to play again this year.

"Everything was great, people were so nice to us," Peer's brother said of last year's tournaments. We didn't think it was going to be any problem this time.

Still, her nationality has caused her heartache on the tennis tour before. In 2006, she and her doubles partner, Sania Mirza of India, were forced to split because of objections from Indian Muslims. And just last month, Peer faced a noisy protest in Auckland, New Zealand, over Israel's Gaza invasion.

Peer, who travels on an Israeli passport, completed her military service in 2007. The Emirates does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, though the moderate Gulf Arab country has allowed Israelis to enter for meetings with the United Nations or other international bodies.

A year ago, the Israeli doubles tandem, Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich, aborted their plan to take part in the lucrative Dubai tournament because of security concerns.

The WTA Tour is planning to review its future in Dubai and may cancel next year's tournament as a result. The tour's chief executive, Larry Scott, has called the UAE's decision "regrettable."

International Tennis Federation, the sport's governing body, plans to contact UAE tennis authorities to "remind them that the organization does not permit discrimination on any grounds," President Francesco Ricci Bitti said Monday.

"The ITF believes that sport should not be used as a political tool but rather as a unifying element between athletes and nations," he said.

Michael Klein, chairman of the Israeli Tennis Association, said the WTA had to make sure that Peer's ranking was not harmed because of her exclusion from the tournament. He said it also needed to send a stern message in the name of sportsmanship that such behavior was unacceptable.

"The sanction has to be so severe that no one will ever attempt to boycott an athlete again," he said.

Peer said she has been showered with support in the past few days from the WTA, fans and players. The most vocal has been Venus Williams who declared: All the players support Shahar.]

Instead of traveling in Dubai, Peer arrived in Israel late Sunday from Thailand, where she lost in the semifinal of the Pattaya Open to fifth-ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia earlier in the day.

She is planning on spending the week in Israel before heading off to her next tournament in Monterey, Mexico.