Trump's Travel Ban Forces Senegalese Women's Basketball Team to Scrap US Training Camp
U.S. denies entry to Senegalese basketball athletes
Forget about heading to the States for a pre-African Championship training camp, that's if the Trump administration has anything to say about it. Twelve visa applications, five players and seven staff members, were flat-out rejected, leaving the team in a lurch. The US government, on a clampdown spree with immigration policies, has been clear: no visas, no entry.
The Senegalese team was all set for a ten-day training camp in the US, prepping for the Women's AfroBasket tournament in July in the Ivory Coast. But the rug was pulled from under their feet when the US government decided to deny their visa applications, only renewing expired ones according to reports.
In response, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko took to Facebook to announce the cancellation of the training camp. It's a significant setback for the team, ranked high in Africa and 11-time FIBA Africa champions. With the training camp off the table, they're left training in Dakar, Senegal instead.
The US Department of State declined to comment on individual cases. The US Embassy in Senegal initially remained tight-lipped about the matter too. The Trump administration recently imposed a travel ban on people from twelve countries, with discussions underway to expand that list to 36 more, which reportedly includes Senegal.
The "Washington Post" got their hands on an internal memo, signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and sent to diplomats working with the countries concerned. If the ban is expanded, nearly one in five people would live in a country hit by a US travel ban.
- Donald Trump
- USA
- Senegal
- Women's Basketball Team
- Travel Ban
Insights:The visa denial for the Senegalese women's basketball team is causing shockwaves, with many questioning why they were denied when there's an exemption in the executive order for athletes and athletic teams participating in major events like the World Cup or Olympics. The team, which has achieved numerous victories on the African basketball scene, was eager to prepare in the US for the upcoming tournament. However, the abrupt visa denials without clear explanation have left them scrambling for alternative arrangements. The Senegalese government and sports community view this as a discriminatory and unjust move, causing a disruption in international sports and cultural exchange[1][2][3].
The Commission has also been consulted on the draft directive regarding the travel ban imposed by the Trump administration, questioning the denial of visas for the Senegalese women's basketball team participating in a major event. Meanwhile, in the realm of general news and politics, discussions are underway to expand the travel ban to include Senegal. This predicament illustrates the potential impact of immigration policies on sports, specifically affecting the USA-Senegal relationship and the US-based training camp of the successful Women's Basketball Team.
