Tennis Channel regrets to inform our viewers and tennis fans that we are canceling our upcoming coverage of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, U.A.E, originally scheduled for this weekend.  Unfortunately the event will exclude a single player who has been blocked from entering the country due to her nationality.  This is despite her having qualified for the competition via her on-court performance and current ranking.  Tennis Channel recognizes that this exclusion has been made by state authorities and neither the tour nor tournament directors themselves.  However we also honor the role and proud tradition that tennis has always played as a driving force for inclusion both on and off the courts.  Preventing an otherwise qualified athlete from competing on the basis of anything other than merit has no place in tennis or any other sport, and has the unfortunate result of undermining the credibility of the very nature of competition itself.

I am very glad they are taking a stand against this. The whole situation sounds ridiculous and I agree that this has no place in tennis or any other sport.

It’ll be interesting to see if state authorities speak out on their decision.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tennis Channel Makes a Statement Regarding the Dubai Event