Ferdinand Omanyala, known as the fastest African man, had long prepared for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. But, when the arrival of his visa was delayed, Omanyala dreaded that he would not be able to participate.
The African record holder from Kenya, one of the fastest sprinters of all time, was supposed to fly to the United States five days before the race to rest, settle in, and prepare for his first 100-meter race. Instead, he received his U.S. visa less than a day before the race and had only a few hours to spare.
Omanyala was very disappointed. He applied to get a visa on the same date as his teammates, and most of them received it the next day. His never got delivered, for reasons that were unclear to him.
“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala said. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”
This is not the only case of delays with the visa. Many other African athletes and people have often experienced delays too. Some are as long as six to eight months!
“Some of us paid our visa fees back in April, only to be given an appointment date for March 2024,” one official lamented.
That official said that he expected the American embassies around the world to treat athletes, coaches, and accredited journalists with respect and kindness. “I am sure this kind of treatment won’t be meted to athletes, officials and journalists from Great Britain, Germany and Australia.”
Africa has many bright students who have been admitted to universities in the U.S., but most of those students have visa appointments in 2023. Since May, only 20 out of 140 students got their visa.
Many believe that delays with U.S. visas must stop. They are a huge letdown to many African athletes, coaches, journalists, and civilians.
Sources: https://washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/15/omanlaya-kenya-sprinter-us-visa-race/
https://guardian.ng/sport/officials-journalists-others-may-miss-world-championships-over-u-s-embassys-visa-refusal/
The African record holder from Kenya, one of the fastest sprinters of all time, was supposed to fly to the United States five days before the race to rest, settle in, and prepare for his first 100-meter race. Instead, he received his U.S. visa less than a day before the race and had only a few hours to spare.
Omanyala was very disappointed. He applied to get a visa on the same date as his teammates, and most of them received it the next day. His never got delivered, for reasons that were unclear to him.
“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala said. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”
This is not the only case of delays with the visa. Many other African athletes and people have often experienced delays too. Some are as long as six to eight months!
“Some of us paid our visa fees back in April, only to be given an appointment date for March 2024,” one official lamented.
That official said that he expected the American embassies around the world to treat athletes, coaches, and accredited journalists with respect and kindness. “I am sure this kind of treatment won’t be meted to athletes, officials and journalists from Great Britain, Germany and Australia.”
Africa has many bright students who have been admitted to universities in the U.S., but most of those students have visa appointments in 2023. Since May, only 20 out of 140 students got their visa.
Many believe that delays with U.S. visas must stop. They are a huge letdown to many African athletes, coaches, journalists, and civilians.
Sources: https://washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/15/omanlaya-kenya-sprinter-us-visa-race/
https://guardian.ng/sport/officials-journalists-others-may-miss-world-championships-over-u-s-embassys-visa-refusal/
