Surely the CEO of Tennis Australia (Craig Tiley) is a dead man walking. his position is definietly untenable after what has been leaked.
a week after the Federal Government sent him a letter, detail the requirements to enter Australia (including that previously contracting COVID was not a legitimate reason to get an exemption), TA has sent a letter to the ATP with the wrong information about how players could play in the Australian Open without a vaccination.
the letter states that:
- a player first needed an overseas medical exemption certificate to enter Australia, then a second exemption to play in the tournament.
- A second exemption that had to be signed off by an independent Australian medical practitioner or panel of expert medical personnel
The document to the ATP also contained what it said was an outline of valid reasons for a temporary medical exemption, including the following (which differed from what TA were told by the feds):
Recent PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection (after 31 July 2021), where vaccination can be deferred until six months after the infection.”
“If you fall into this category, please provide laboratory PCR result from the first positive test, antibody levels if available and evidence of any previous or subsequent vaccinations if relevant,” the letter said.
“The current ATAGI guidance for those who have had a recent COVID infection is to be vaccinated once you have recovered from the acute illness.
“It may also assist the independent panel if you can provide a letter from your doctor or public health authority as to why you have not received a full dose of an approved vaccination following COVID-19 infection.”
finally TA tried to hedge their bets in case their misleading of the players were caught out with the document claiming that the information was all correct and claiming they were seeking clarification from the Federal Government (and Victorian health officials), even though they had received the clarification 9 days earlier.
here is the note in the correspondence:
“As you are aware we have been urgently seeking clarification from Australian Federal and State public health authorities around the assessment of medical exemptions as they relate to the AO (Australian Open),” the document said.
“Specifically, we have sought urgent clarification in relation to: what will be accepted as proof of a valid medical exemption; and the position with respect to persons who have previously had Covid-19 in the past six months.
“We have now received further information and are in a position to expand on the advice we previously provided.”
-----------------
IMO, both the Victorian Government and Federal Government made a mistake ... but what TA did was deliberate and underhanded.
The Victorian Government who set up the medical panel should have sought clarification to the rules themselves from either the ABF or their Federal counterparts
The Federal government should have made sure their correspondence was also sent to the Victorian Government. rather than rely on the integrity of TA
