MELBOURNE (Reuters) -The Federal Court of Australia will publish reasons for its dismissal of tennis star Novak Djokovic’s challenge to the cancellation of his visa on Thursday at 0515 GMT, the court said.
The reasons will be read out in court by Chief Justice James Allsop in a session streamed live online, a court spokesperson said.
Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday night, just hours after the court dismissed his effort to stay in the country to play at the Australian Open, where he hoped to win a record 21st major title.
The year’s first Grand Slam tournament began on Monday.
His departure ended an 11-day rollercoaster following the cancellation of his visa on arrival for not having a proper medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
His saga has stoked global debate over the rights of people who opt not to get vaccinated as governments look to protect the community from the coronavirus pandemic.
Djokovic was held in an immigration detention hotel for several days until a court reinstated his visa on the grounds that he had been treated unfairly at the airport.
Late last Friday the government cancelled his visa again on the grounds that he might foster anti-vaccination sentiment if he was allowed to stay. Djokovic challenged the cancellation on the grounds the minister had acted irrationally, but the court dismissed the case.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Kenneth Maxwell)
