Australia's Boxing Day Test against arch rivals England and next year's Australian Open tennis will be played before a full house, Melbourne authorities said Thursday as they removed more pandemic restrictions.
Victoria Premier Dan Andrews said that the state was about to hit 90 per cent vaccination, allowing long-standing restrictions to be eased, including capacity limits on sporting events.
How many spectators, if any, would be allowed into the cavernous 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the third Ashes Test had been up in the air.
The crowd for last summer's Boxing Day Test against India was capped at 30,000 per day due to the pandemic.
The five-Test Ashes series will start in Brisbane on December 8 before moving to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and ending in Perth.
Andrews' decision was also good news for tennis fans.
The first tennis Grand Slam of 2022 is due to start on January 17 at Melbourne Park, which will also be allowed a full capacity crowd.
The tournament was hit hard this year with limited crowds and a five-day snap lockdown called mid-event.
But whether a full contingent of tennis stars will make the trip to Melbourne remains to be seen.
Authorities have warned that unvaccinated players are unlikely to get visas, throwing defending champion Novak Djokovic's participation into serious doubt.
The world No 1 has publicly voiced opposition to vaccines and refused to say whether he has been jabbed against coronavirus.
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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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