One man, Novak Djokovic, has been the focus of all the attention for the past three weeks.
Blocked, released and finally expelled from Australian soil, the Serbian tennis player has become the symbol of the dilemma now facing athletes refusing to be vaccinated.
In France, a vaccination pass will come into force in the coming days. It will apply to French and foreign athletes, without possible exemption, said the Ministry of Sports. This risks leaving Novak Djokovic (or even Pierre-Hugues Herbert) on the floor once again in the spring for Roland-Garros, but tennis is obviously not the only professional sport affected by these restrictions.
This Thursday, the authorities of European football published a press release which is already thrilling the clubs involved in continental competitions.
UEFA indicates that visiting teams should "in principle" be required to respect the rules in force in the host country.
Either a complete vaccination schedule, in view of the latest parliamentary negotiations.
It remains to be seen what this formula of "in principle" covers while "additional guidance" is promised before the beginning of February.
Will people who have been infected in a relatively recent period benefit from an exemption?
Can we consider relocating matches to neutral ground?
Read alsoForeign athletes will also be subject to the vaccination pass
Several English media report the concern, in particular of the Chelsea club, which will travel to Lille on March 16 for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Will the Blues have to do without some of its players?
In December, 25% of English professional players (top three divisions) still refused to receive the slightest dose, according to The Times.
Faced with this problem, we also think of the Real Madrid players, who will come to the Parc des Princes on February 15, or the Azerbaijanis from Qarabag, expected at the Vélodrome on February 17 in the Europa League Conference.
