Greek government criticizes Stefanos Tsitsipas for vaccination statements, ATP appeals
On the sidelines of the ATP Masters 1000 event, Stefanos Tsitsipas was extremely critical of the COVID-19 vaccination. Statements that are now met with criticism from the highest authorities in their own country.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit: Aug 20, 2021, 12:51 pm
Tennis professional Stefanos Tsitsipas has annoyed the government in his home country Greece with statements about the corona vaccination. "He does not have the knowledge and neither the studies nor the research work that would allow him to form an opinion," said government spokesman Giannis Economou in a press conference.
"Nobody has made vaccination compulsory," Tsitsipas had previously said: "At some point I'll have to do it, I'm pretty sure, but so far it has not been mandatory to take part in competitions, so I haven't done it."
Tsitsipas sees no need for young people
The world number three is "a great athlete", says Economou, but Tsitsipas has hardly the "ability to assess the need for vaccinations or whether the vaccine has been tested for a sufficiently long period of time"
Tsitsipas, 22, said he was "young, in the under-25 category, in my opinion the vaccine hasn't been tested enough, it's new. There are side effects." He did not mind, but saw no reason for someone his age to get vaccinated.
Tsitsipas doesn't understand excitement
Economou finds the statements dangerous: "Those whose achievements and presence make them a point of reference for larger social groups should be doubly careful when expressing such views."
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Stefanos Tsitsipas, on the other hand, cannot understand why his negative attitude towards vaccination is causing controversy: "I didn't say anything strange, everyone has their point of view. If we were all diplomats and couldn't say what we really think, why do we stop Press conferences? ", The Greek said after his second round win in Cincinnati.
ATP with urgent recommendation for vaccination
Meanwhile, the ATP has once again actively spoken out in favor of vaccinating the players. "The ATP continues to strongly recommend the players vaccination, which is primarily based on scientific findings that prove the health benefits and the effects of the products," said a spokesman for the ATP. "Vaccination also helps players minimize the risk of being excluded from tournaments due to being a positive case or a close contact."
The ATP would have taken this point of view on many occasions and made it clear in its communication with the players. "While we respect everyone's right to freedom of expression, we believe that every player has a role to play in helping a larger group achieve a safe level of immunity," the New York Times quoted a spokesman as saying. "Achieving that would allow us to loosen the tournament restrictions - with the benefit for everyone on the tour."