Head of Italian Olympic Committee Against Djokovic's Participation in Rome Tournament

ROME (Sputnik) - The president of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Italy, Giovanni Malago, on Tuesday spoke out against the participation of unvaccinated Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open tournament, which will be held in Rome in May.

"Every day I receive dozens of emails in which disgruntled moms and dads ask why their children who do not have a [COVID-19] green pass cannot do sports. Explain to me why a champion can do it while being in exactly the same situation," Malago said in a TV show on the Italian broadcaster Rai.

At the same time, Malago expressed hope for a significant improvement in the country's epidemic situation by May, which would allow Italians not only to see the game of Djokovic but also to play sports freely themselves.

Unvaccinated Djokovic arrived in Australia on January 5 to participate in the Australia Open tennis tournament. On January 6, he was detained and put into a migration isolation ward after the Australian authorities canceled his visa. Djokovic was accused of skirting COVID-19 rules, as his vaccination exemption was already invalid. His legal team swiftly appealed the decision.

Four days later, the tennis player was released from the isolation ward by a court order. On January 10, Djokovic's visa was reinstated by the federal district court in Melbourne, but on Friday, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke personally revoked the player's visa, forcing Djokovic to skip the tournament and leave the country.