Tuesday, December 23, 2025
ADVT 
International

Sikh Man Kicked Out Of Wimbledon Queue For 'Making People Uncomfortable'

IANS, 13 Jul, 2016 12:45 PM
    A 20-year-old Sikh man was kicked out of an overnight queue to watch the Wimbledon tennis championships as he apparently made other people around him "uncomfortable".
     
    Govindpal Kooner took to Facebook last week to voice his anger at being thrown out and claimed it was an act of racism, cases of which have reported a rise in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU).
     
    He wrote on Friday: "Kicked out of the overnight camping line for centre court Wimbledon line 'because you make some people around you uncomfortable, so we're gonna have to report you and ask you to leave immediately, sir'".
     

    "Post-Brexit racism and the overt rise of neo-facism. Please advise how best to report this," he said.
     
    The sportsman who himself dreams of playing professional tennis was eventually allowed to enter the ground after re-queuing in the line a few hours later and made an official complaint about his treatment.
     
    "I felt awful. I felt like I should've fought and negotiated but I backed down and silently left. I don't feel like I'm ever going back now. It's still one of my favourite tournaments but can no longer definitively say it's a lifelong dream to play on centre court," he was quoted as saying by Metro.
     
    Dozens of people responded to his post saying he should report the "discrimination" to police.
     
    A Wimbledon spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a gentleman was asked to leave the queue at 4.42 am this morning (Friday) after a number of complaints from his fellow queuers about his behaviour."
     
    He has previously been warned about his conduct in The Queue on up to six separate occasions during this year's Championships.
     
    "We do acknowledge, however, that in this instance the event safety staff could have provided a better explanation to him. Happily, the same person has been in the Grounds today (Friday) watching the tennis," he said.
     
    But the man insists he did nothing that would warrant being escorted off the grounds, was not intoxicated, loud or aggressive and had not been previously warned about his behaviour.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley To Deliver Republican Response To Obama Address

    Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley To Deliver Republican Response To Obama Address
    With Republican leaders in Congress choosing Haley for the final rebuttal, two Indian-American politicians would be bookending their responses to Obama's speeches as Louisiana's outgoing governor Bobby Jindal did so to his first address in 2009.

    Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley To Deliver Republican Response To Obama Address

    Gurbir Grewal Appointed Top Law Prosecutor Of Bergen County In The US State Of New Jersey

    Gurbir Grewal Appointed Top Law Prosecutor Of Bergen County In The US State Of New Jersey
    An Indian-origin man has been appointed as the top law enforcement officer of Bergen county in the US state of New Jersey, a media report said.

    Gurbir Grewal Appointed Top Law Prosecutor Of Bergen County In The US State Of New Jersey

    Priti Patel, British Indian Minister For Employment To Take Part In Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

    Her visit aims to build on the momentum created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015

    Priti Patel, British Indian Minister For Employment To Take Part In Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

    Canadian Producer Matthiew Klinck Reported Killed In Robbery At Belize Home

    Canadian Producer Matthiew Klinck Reported Killed In Robbery At Belize Home
    SAN PEDRO, Belize — A 37-year-old Canadian has reportedly been killed in an apparent burglary at his home in Selena Village in Belize.

    Canadian Producer Matthiew Klinck Reported Killed In Robbery At Belize Home

    Judge In New York Says Imprisoned Latvian Man Who Helped Create Computer Virus Can Go Home

    Judge In New York Says Imprisoned Latvian Man Who Helped Create Computer Virus Can Go Home
    NEW YORK — A Latvian computer code writer who admitted a role in spreading a virus to more than a million computers worldwide, including some at NASA, can return home after serving 20 months in prison.

    Judge In New York Says Imprisoned Latvian Man Who Helped Create Computer Virus Can Go Home

    Novel Experiment Shows Tots Start To Distinguish That Text, Drawings Have Different Meanings

    Novel Experiment Shows Tots Start To Distinguish That Text, Drawings Have Different Meanings
    Researchers used a puppet, line drawings and simple vocabulary to find that children as young as 3 are beginning to grasp that nuanced concept.

    Novel Experiment Shows Tots Start To Distinguish That Text, Drawings Have Different Meanings