In order to prepare for the Basketball African Cup, the Senegalese national women’s team had planned to participate in an internship in the United States, from June 22 to July 3. The players will finally have to prepare at home after the refusal of the American authorities to issue visas for several people from the delegation.
“Informed of the refusal to issue visas to several members of the Senegal Basketball National Basketball team, I gave instruction (…) to purely and simply cancel the ten-day preparation course initially planned in the United States of America ”announced, Thursday, June 19, the Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, on Facebook.
“This internship will now be organized in Dakar, in a sovereign setting and conducive to the performance of our athletes”he added, recalling the “New doctrine” Senegal: “Free, balanced cooperation, based on mutual respect and shared benefit. »»
This case arises while Washington has prohibited access to its territory to nationals of twelve countries – including seven in Africa – and plans to extend its ban on travel to 36 additional countries, which would constitute a spectacular potential extension of entry restrictions, concerning nearly 1.5 billion people, according to a source who became aware of a memo on this project.
Two West African countries – Togo and Sierra Leone – are already on the list imposed by the American president. Senegal, which is not part of the first version of Traveling prohibitionFigure on the list of countries potentially targeted by its extension.
The renewals accepted, unlike all new requests
Visas have been refused to “Part of the delegation” Which was to go to the United States to prepare for the Basketball African Cup, which is to take place in Côte d’Ivoire from July 25 to August 3, said the Senegalese basketball federation in a statement on Thursday evening. People to whom the visa has been refused are five players, two representatives of the Federation, a doctor, a physiotherapist, one intendant and two administrative officials, according to the same source.
The American Embassy in Dakar “Renewed (The visas of) Those who held old visas and rejected new requests ” of players, said on Thursday at the France-Presse agency (AFP), the president of the National Basketball Federation, Babacar Ndiaye.
“Visas file treatments are confidential, according to American law. We cannot comment on individual cases “A spokesperson for the State Department told AFP. The American embassy did not respond to AFP requests.
The Senegalese government has not reacted, for the moment, to the prospect of a possible ban for its nationals to travel to the United States.
