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World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022: Athletes face a race against time due to visa delay

Fate of around 100 athletes, coaches and officials (mostly from Africa) who are planning to enter US for the WA marquee hangs in balance, due to the visa logjam.

Athletics

Bengaluru, July 15: The World Athletics (WA) organisers are racing against time to clear a visa delay issue, that looks to rob the sheen out of the World Athletics Championships 2022, which is scheduled to begin at Eugene in Oregon, USA, fron July 15.

The Reuters news agency reported that the fate of around 100 athletes, coaches and officials (mostly from Africa) who are planning to enter the US for the WA marquee event hangs in balance, due to the delay in stamping visa.

Dozens of athletes from around the world have been flagging their problems, with Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala among the most high-profile.

World Athletics Championships 2022: Full List of Indian Athletes, Schedule, Live Streaming and Timing in ISTWorld Athletics Championships 2022: Full List of Indian Athletes, Schedule, Live Streaming and Timing in IST

Omanyala finally got his visa approved, but now faces a race against time to arrive in Eugene for the 100M heats to be held on the opening day.

"We won't be 100 per cent satisfied unless we had 100 per cent of the athletes here. That isn't something that we'll probably be able to achieve, but that's what we strive for," US Track and Field (USATF) COO Renee Washington said in a press conference following a WA Council meeting.

"Of the 5,500 participants that needed visas, less than 1 per cent have yet to be resolved."

One of the complications for this event is that WA left the window for qualification open until very close to the start in order to give athletes more chance to find competitions due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on events, literally starting the visa application process relatively late.

Not ideal

Not ideal

Fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, due to race the 10,000M on July 16, said that her US visa was approved in May, but that she still did not have the stamp in her passport. "Tears and pain. Silence," Chepkirui wrote on Instagram.

Several others have received late approval, but will now arrive on the day of their races, hardly ideal preparation for the sport's biggest event outside the Olympics.

Not professional

Not professional

America's former world champion sprinter Michael Johnson tweeted: "This would never happen in a truly professional sport."

The WA said that 255 of 374 outstanding visa cases had been resolved after being escalated to a joint group comprising USOPC, Oregon22 and WA.

Coe's pat for US

Coe's pat for US

Visa issues aside, WA President Sebastian Coe described the first World Athletics Championships to be held in the United States as very exciting.

"The US has consistently been the powerhouse of track and field. We want lots of people in the stadium, but this is the largest sports market in the world and there're some really powerful assets in the United States in terms of promoting the sport."

Neeraj leads India charge

Neeraj leads India charge

For India, Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra remains the best bet for a medal at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22.

Ace long jumper Anju Bobby George's bronze in Paris 2003 is the only medal won by an Indian athlete at the World Championships till date, but the nation will now pin their hope on Neeraj to lead the country's charge for more medals at the event.

Story first published: Sunday, July 17, 2022, 11:15 [IST]
Other articles published on Jul 17, 2022