Australian Open: Own air quality policy for player safety
After the long-standing discussions about the health consequences of the air conditions in Melbourne, the organizer has now published its own air quality policy. This is to ensure that games can only take place if the air conditions have no negative impact on the players.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jan 19, 2020, 09:59 am
“There is a lot of speculation as to whether the Australian Open will ever take place or possibly start later. I say: The Australian Open will definitely take place, ”explained tournament director Craig Tiley at a press meeting. Because at the latest on Tuesday when the Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic collapsed in her first qualifying match and could only leave the court with the help , some voices were heard that under these conditions no Grand Slam tournament could take place.
It was particularly criticized that the organizers still claimed after the incident on Tuesday that conditions in Melbourne would have been “playable” on this day. Although Melbourne City Council recommended the same day that residents of the city should stay in their houses with the windows and doors closed due to the poor air conditions.
Own benchmark for the Australian Open
In order to take some wind off the sails of the sails, Tiley called this press appointment, where he made it clear : “Air quality is enormously complex and confusing due to the many factors and is further complicated if you read it from an app. Different apps will give you different values. It's about trusting the expertise of the analysts who do it every day. The safety, well-being and health of the players, fans and employees have priority for us. "
To make the decisions more understandable for fans and players, Tennis Australia has now presented its own air quality policy. Instead of the well-known scale, which works with fine dust values in the air, according to Sportschau.de , Tennis Australia calculates its own value, which is called "PM2" (particulate matter rating). According to Tennis Australia employees, this figure is more accurate. There are now five categories in these new guidelines. If the value is in one of the first three, playing is possible without risk. If the value is in the fourth category - between 97 and 200 - you can continue playing, but the game is monitored by local experts and, if necessary, terminated. If the value is over 200, the process is terminated immediately.
Players with shared opinions about the team of experts
A team of experts from various institutions is responsible for these calculations, including the Victoria Protection Authority of Victoria - which was responsible for the recommendation that Melbourneers should stay in their houses on Tuesday. There are hardly any other options for the players in this case than to trust the experts. The opinions of the players differ about their previous work. While Angelique Kerber is convinced that the experts will do well, Argentinian Diego Schwartzman says the players need to feel even more that the organizers are taking good care of them.
For the players, however, it would be hoped that the air conditions would improve so that the fourth category in the new air quality policy was never reached at all. There is still time for improvement until Monday, when the first round of the Australian Open starts. With the meeting of Jan-Lennard Struff and Novak Djokovic, the first really big delicacy is waiting for the viewers - and hopefully in good air conditions.