Wednesday, June 17, 2026
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

    Al Qaeda affiliate seizes Syrian military base

    Al Qaeda affiliate seizes Syrian military base
    Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria Monday took control of a government military base in the northern province of Idleb, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said....

    Al Qaeda affiliate seizes Syrian military base

    Independent inquiry into Britain's flight chaos

    Independent inquiry into Britain's flight chaos
    An independent inquiry will be initiated into the air traffic control computer failure which disrupted flights at Britain's airports last week, officials said Monday....

    Independent inquiry into Britain's flight chaos

    Imran Khan drives around Lahore amid shutdown

    Imran Khan drives around Lahore amid shutdown
    Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan Monday joined a caravan of his supporters which was passing through different areas of Lahore after....

    Imran Khan drives around Lahore amid shutdown

    Sydney Siege Ends: Police Storm Cafe, Free Hostages, Two Dead

    Sydney Siege Ends: Police Storm Cafe, Free Hostages, Two Dead
    A 16-hour hostage crisis -- the first terror attack in Australia -- ended early Tuesday after police stormed a cafe in the heart of Sydney where an Iran-born cleric took some 30 people hostage and made several demands, sending shockwaves across the country.

    Sydney Siege Ends: Police Storm Cafe, Free Hostages, Two Dead

    Sydney Siege: Islamic Flag Displayed As Hostages Held In Sydney's Lindt Cafe

    Sydney Siege: Islamic Flag Displayed As Hostages Held In Sydney's Lindt Cafe
    An armed man Monday took several people hostage inside a shop in Sydney's central business district, forcing the government to call an emergency security meeting here.

    Sydney Siege: Islamic Flag Displayed As Hostages Held In Sydney's Lindt Cafe

    Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss Crowned Miss World 2014

    Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss Crowned Miss World 2014
    South Africa's Rolene Strauss bagged the Miss World 2014 title here Sunday. The 22-year-old was crowned by Miss World 2013 Megan Young, who also co-hosted the pageant with Tim Vincent.

    Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss Crowned Miss World 2014