Stars barricaded against vaccination

Novak Djokovic has waited in the solitude of a Melbourne hotel room for the resolution of his case - the hearing to decide if he is deported from Australia when he wants to enter without being vaccinated against covid despite a medical exemption - but a group of Sports stars accompany him in the trench where the opponents of vaccination hide. Despite the proven scientific efficacy of the vaccine, their determination is so firm, cases of NBA player Kyrie Irving and NFL (American football) Aaron Rodgers, who before being inoculated prefer to leave their teams in the lurch or risk creating comparative torts and conflicts in your Leagues.

Joshua Kimmich, a German footballer for Bayern Munich, resisted getting vaccinated for months, but ended up giving in after contracting the virus and suffering lung damage - and his club stopped paying him part of his salary.

Bryson DeChambeau, a golf star, also passed the coronavirus and this forced him to withdraw from the Olympics.

But he has maintained his misgivings and has stated that he will be vaccinated if the doses meet his standards.

Kelly Slater, world surf champion, Tennys Sandgren, number 96 in the world tennis rankings, N'Golo Kanté, Chelsea's French midfielder, and Anthony Rizzo, Major League Baseball player, are also on that list of well-known athletes. contrary to vaccination.

Joshua Kimmich during a Bayern Munich match against Borussia Monchengladbach.

CHRISTOF STACHE (AFP)

Rodgers, 38, one of the best

in football history, far from regretting having misled the NFL about his vaccination, presents himself as a victim. In August, the Green Bay Packers player said he had been vaccinated, but in November he tested positive and it was discovered that he had not been inoculated. He believed he was immunized after undergoing alternative treatment. He later claimed to be allergic to one of the ingredients in two of the vaccines and refused to inject himself with another because he heard that several people had complained of adverse effects. He repeatedly breached the NFL's established covid security protocols and was terminated from his sponsorship deal by a US healthcare company.

97% of NBA players are vaccinated and more than 70% have received a booster dose in recent days. The League promotes the campaign, interested in avoiding collapse, after more than 250 players and 14 coaches have contracted the virus in the last month, and having had to postpone 11 games. However, Kyrie Irving, one of the stars of the competition, maintains his position and has not been vaccinated. His case illustrates the confusion generated by the different regulations against covid in the United States. You cannot play the games at home, in the Brooklyn Nets pavilion, because the New York authorities require vaccination in closed facilities with large influx of people. You can only play away from home, as long as you meet the requirements that the NBA imposes on unvaccinated players.He is still a drag on his team, one of the main contenders for the title. His partner Kevin Durant, questioned about it, explains that he does not intend to pressure Irving: "I told him how important he is, how much I want him to play, but I am not going to force anyone to get vaccinated."

Kyrie Irving barely argued his reluctance in October: “I chose not to be vaccinated, and that was my choice. And I would ask them to respect it. And weeks later he presented himself as a victim: “I am doing what is best for me. I know the consequences, and I know that I am judged and demonized. It is the role that I play ”.

Andrew Wiggins, another front-line player in the NBA, the number one in the 2014 draft, gave up just days before the start of the season and got vaccinated. His team, the Golden State Warriors, arranged a meeting with an Oakland doctor to answer any questions he might have. The player's explanations, after being vaccinated, were not comforting: “I was against the wall. I felt that the alternative to getting vaccinated was not playing in the NBA. I suppose that to carry out certain activities your own body does not belong to you. I hope there are more brave people than me who can continue to fight for what they believe in. It all came down to getting vaccinated or not playing basketball. Am 26 years old. I have two sons. I want more children. I am trying to do something that will make as much money as I can for my children and my future children,trying to make generational wealth. So I took a chance and hopefully it will work in the long term and in 10 years I will still be healthy. "

Surfer Kelly Slater surrounded by fans after landing his 10th ASP World Tour.

Kelly Slater, a 49-year-old American, is one of surfing's greatest stars, an eleven-time world championship winner between 1992 and 2011, and also a staunch enemy of vaccination.

A few months ago he opined: “This is clearly a disease of the obese, the sick and the elderly, if official statistics are studied.

For people who say listen to doctors, I'm sure I know more about health than 99% of doctors.

Most of my information comes directly from medical friends, many of them disagreeing with official science. "

As a result of Djokovic's situation in Australia, Slater has expressed his opinion through Instagram: “Perhaps the Stockholm syndrome can be renamed to Melbourne / Australia syndrome. It is very sad to see how the virtuous vaccinated celebrate the division. If you are vaccinated, why are you concerned about someone else's condition? Unless, of course, the vaccine doesn't protect you. Maybe you are afraid of catching it or are you angry because you have been vaccinated? Too much brainwashing and hatred in people's hearts regarding vaccination. "

Kimmich, 26, justified his change of mind in December.

"It was difficult for me to face my fears and misgivings, which is why I have been indecisive for so long," said the international midfielder with Germany.

10% of the footballers of the 36 professional Bundesliga teams have not wanted to be vaccinated, the federation reported then, which is a problem because football and sport, since the pandemic began, is also the object of political instrumentalization, in Germany and almost all over the world.

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