The pandemic has had the world in a stranglehold for nearly two years now. A few months ago it finally looked like normal life could be resumed. Unfortunately, that’s still not the case. In these difficult times, sport provided a lot of inspiration and entertainment, but a less positive event in sport demanded full attention this month. The affair surrounding Novak Djokovic, the undisputed number 1 in men’s tennis, showed what can happen if you give your own interpretation to rules and laws.
The nine-time Australian Open winner was forced to take a plane home just before the tournament started after multiple attempts by his lawyers to stay in Melbourne. During the pandemic, Djokovic deliberately did not get vaccinated, and in mid-December he became infected with the corona virus. Despite the strict corona rules that also apply in tennis, the organizers had made an exception for him so that he could still participate in the Australian Open. Unfortunately for those who wanted to make it possible for him to get onto the tennis court, the Australian authorities refused to allow him to enter the country – a decision that was ultimately upheld by the judge. Unvaccinated people will not enter Australia, and no exceptions will be made, as much as Djokovic, his fans, organizers and sponsors would have liked to.
Djokovic’s choice not to be vaccinated surprised me. I have never taken a flu shot myself. I have also rarely been sick. It was always easy for me to say no to a flu shot because it only affected my own health. But now there is a pandemic and only by taking joint action can the corona virus be fought. It is now not only about your own health, but also that of others, especially people with weaker health.
As a top athlete you have a special responsibility – you set an example. You can help reduce the fear that has grown by spreading all kinds of theories, especially in social media. Theories that are adhered to by people who, on the other hand, easily go under the knife for all kinds of aesthetic interventions, in which they allow themselves to be injected with substances whose contents are not always clear either. In and outside the nightlife, all kinds of pills are consumed as if they were sweets, and users probably don’t know what’s in them either. But then question the most tested means, such as the vaccines against corona.
I also wish those vaccines weren’t necessary, but we can’t do without them because we’ll have to learn to live with the coronavirus. In order to cope with the pandemic, we will have to comply with rules. Top athletes are in a position to set a good example in that area too, and to show that you also have a responsibility towards other people. Then let them do that.
Clarence Seedorf is a former football player. Now he is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and guest speaker.