American legend Johnson slams organisers for Omanyala visa debacle
Former Olympic sprint champion Michael Johnson slammed the
visa logjam that has plagued this year’s World Athletics Championships as
organisers scrambled to have the issues resolved.
The retired American sprinter, one of athletics’ all-time top
performers, has been among the most vocal critics of the manner in which
issuance of visas had been handled.
Around 100 athletes, coaches and officials from around the
world have been flagging their problems, with African 100m champion Ferdinand
Omanyala among the most high-profile.
“This is ridiculous! It’s been known US entry visa may be one
of the most difficult and WA and the organizing committee didn’t get ahead of
this? #WCHOregon22,” Johnson tweeted, quoting a post the Ivorian sprint queen
Ta Lou Marie Josee who was lamenting about the visa issues.
The 54-year-old said a World Athletics statement saying the
issues were being resolved had been “PITIFUL and SHAMEFUL”.
Omanyala finally got his visa approved on Thursday, departing
the country later that evening and leaving him facing a race to arrive in
Eugene in time for Friday's 100 metres heats.
“This would never happen in a truly professional sport!” Johnson wrote in a quote retweet of Citizen TV editor Mike Okinyi’s post that Omanyala was finally heading to the US.
This would never happen in a truly professional sport! https://t.co/yLvwFfXKUP
Omanyala’s fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, due to race the
10,000 metres on Saturday, said that her U.S. visa was approved in May but that
she still did not have the stamp in her passport. "Tears and pain.
Silence," she 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.
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