The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Board has finally come up with a strong sanction against the organizers of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The board decided to fine the organizers a record $300,000. This stemmed from the refusal by the United Arab Emirates to issue a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer.
The decision, which can be read in its entirety at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Site, detailed how the money will be distributed and the conditions that Dubai organizers have to meet in order for the tournament to be staged next year. Here’s a summary of the decision:
• Shahar Peer will receive US$44,250. The amount was based on Peer’s average earnings for each tournament (singles and doubles) last year. The amount is still subject to change considering the increase in prize money for this year.
• Shahar Peer will be awarded 130 ranking points. This was the same amount of points she earned on the same week last year, where she competed at a tournament in Memphis.
• German player Anna Lena Groenefeld, who would have been Peer’s doubles partner in Dubai, will receive US$7,950. This amount was based on Groenefeld’s average earnings for each doubles tournament last year. The amount is still subject to change considering the increase in prize money for this year.
• Financial penalty for Dubai Tennis Championships organizers in the amount of $300,000. Part of the amount will go to the aforementioned players.
• Financial performance guarantee of $2 million must be made by the Dubai organizers by July 2009 which meets the conditions set by the WTA Board.
“I think what we hope with this decision is that we’re sending a very clear message that we’re not going to tolerate discrimination of any kind. We wanted to send a clear signal that this is the most egregious action the world of tennis has seen in recent history. And we felt that it should be at least double what the previous highest penalty was,” said WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott.
The Dubai tournament organizers are considering the possibility of appealing the sanction.
“There is an appeal situation if we want to use it, in the WTA rule book, but we have not gone into detail on it,” said Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Colm McLoughlin on Saturday.
