In a move that should come as a shock to no one who follows world politics and current events even just a little bit, the United Arab Emirates denied entry into their lovely theocratic nation of Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer.

Peer is the 45th ranked player on the WTA Tour and was set to play in the Barclays Dubai tournament which begins on Monday. The men’s events start next week, and there is still no word on what the treatment will be in that case.

According to tournament officials, there was fear that allowing an Israeli player into the tournament could antagonize the fans, and she was not allowed in for security reasons.

From ESPN.com:

A statement from the tournament organizer, Dubai Duty Free, said Peer’s “presence would have antagonized our fans” because of the attacks in Gaza, which left about 1,300 Palestinians dead, at least half of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials.

Thirteen Israelis were killed, including three civilians, before a tentative cease-fire halted fighting on Jan. 18.

The tournament statement said there was concern about protests, boycotts and threats to Peer’s “well-being.”

Of course, knowing that in all likelihood Dubai won’t really exist as we know it in a few years, these sports are better off just moving on now, rather than take the money for events that hurt their sport. The money is drying up very fast in the UAE, and overpaying for sporting events will be one of the first cuts. Why subject your players to treatment like this? Just get the hell out.

The Tennis Channel announced that they are canceling all coverage of the tournament this week based on what happened with Peer.

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