Australian Open advises of medical exemption for Novak Djokovic to compete in Melbourne

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley has today advised that tennis' world number one Novak Djokovic will compete in the 2022 tournament in Melbourne.

A statement from Tennis Australia advised that Djokovic had been granted a medical exemption "following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts.

"One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) guidelines."

Going on to note that players, fans and staff at the Australian Open must be fully vaccinated, unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted, Tiley added "fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.

“Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration.”

The statement from Tennis Australia advised of the Australian Open vaccine medical exemption process:

The COVID-19 vaccination protocols for the Australian Open, including the process for players seeking medical exemptions, have been finalised by the Victorian Department of Health and Tennis Australia.

Under an independent process, applications for a medical exemption were first reviewed by an expert panel made up of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious disease and general practice.

Applications that met the national guidelines set by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) were then subjected to a second review conducted by a Government-appointed panel of medical experts, the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel.

The applications were reviewed and approved only in line with ATAGI guidelines.

The process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants.

The multi-step independent review process was designed to ensure the safety of everyone at the Australian Open.

The Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park from 17th to 30th January.

Image: Novak Djokovic Credit: Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock.com.