Monday, June 22, 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

    Pakistani army, ISI targeting India to hit Sharif: Ex-CIA analyst

    Pakistani army, ISI targeting India to hit Sharif: Ex-CIA analyst
    Suggesting that Pakistani army and its spy agency ISI were targeting India and their own Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a dangerous game, a former...

    Pakistani army, ISI targeting India to hit Sharif: Ex-CIA analyst

    South Africa requests the Dalai Lama to defer visit

    South Africa requests the Dalai Lama to defer visit
    South Africa Saturday requested Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to defer his visit to Cape Town for this year only, his private office said here....

    South Africa requests the Dalai Lama to defer visit

    NewsAlert: Unresponsive US Plane Cashes in Jamaica

    NewsAlert: Unresponsive US Plane Cashes in Jamaica
    MIAMI - Jamaican officials say unresponsive US plane has crashed on the island.

    NewsAlert: Unresponsive US Plane Cashes in Jamaica

    Why some people bounce back and others give up

    Why some people bounce back and others give up
    How can similar setbacks produce different reactions for two people? It may come down to how much control we feel we have over what happened, according to research.

    Why some people bounce back and others give up

    Two Chinese cooks serve 30,000 college students

    Two Chinese cooks serve 30,000 college students
    Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani Friday said the government would soon launch an online library to make study materials available to all.

    Two Chinese cooks serve 30,000 college students

    Can We Talk About How Joan Rivers Blazed A Trail For Female Comics?

    Can We Talk About How Joan Rivers Blazed A Trail For Female Comics?
    LOS ANGELES, Calif. - On "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1967, Joan Rivers joked about society's double-standard for women.

    Can We Talk About How Joan Rivers Blazed A Trail For Female Comics?