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Under Tight Security, Israeli Makes Dubai Tennis Debut
UAE accepts player after barring his fellow citizen from competition
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Feb 26, 09 9:23 AM CST
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(Newser)
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A week after denying a visa to one Israeli tennis player, Dubai ushered in another yesterday amid tight security—and his match went smoothly, the Guardian reports. After fines and criticism for its decision to reject female player Shahar Peer’s bid to play, the United Arab Emirates made Andy Ram the first Israeli to play in the country, the AP adds.
Armed guards met Ram, 28, at the airport; during his doubles match, spectators were confined to one end of the court after submitting to searches and metal detectors, and the umpire was barred from identifying Ram’s nationality. “I was trying to do something big and to put sport above politics,” said Ram, who lost the match.