Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa protested against the presence of Israeli tennis player and military reserve member Lina Glushko. Video / Michael Burgess / Dean Purcell
Protests against an Israeli tennis player led to play being stopped at the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland on Monday.
A group were protesting the presence of Israeli Lina Glushko, who had progressed through qualifying and faced Naomi Osaka in a first-round clash on centre court.
The match came to a halt briefly during the opening set, as the chants could be heard in the arena from across the road.
Glushko approached the chair umpire, who had a brief conversation with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) supervisor before play continued.
However, there was a much longer delay to another match on the stadium court – closest to the domain – due to the noise from another group of protesters who had gathered in the park.
Protesters standing on Tennis Lane outside the ASB Tennis Arena in central Auckland disrupted play during the ASB Classic as they campaigned against Israeli player Lina Glushko. Photo / Michael Burgess
Leyre Romero Gormaz, of Spain, and Julia Grabher, of Austria, both downed tools for more than 10 minutes before the match resumed.
Protesters who spoke to the Herald said their main objection was Glushko’s background as an IDF soldier and the fact she is still an army reservist, rather than just her presence as a tennis player.
They also pointed out she has been outspoken on social media in her support for the IDF since the conflict began.
Lina Glushko (ISR) in action during the ASB Tennis Classic. Photo / Dean Purcell
Osaka, who progressed with a 6-4, 6-4 victory, said she heard the protests but it hadn’t affected her.
“I heard a lot of shouting and then I was told by people on the sidelines that there was a protest,” said Osaka.
Tournament director Nicolas Lamperin told the Herald on Sunday that Glushko was entitled to participate in the tournament, under current WTA regulations, with no restrictions on Israeli players, who are also allowed to compete under their flag, unlike Russian and Belarusian players.
Campaign group Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa chairman John Minto said: “Politics and sport are always strongly linked and Glushko’s presence is part of Israel’s strategy to normalise its racism and apartheid against Palestinians.”
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
