{UAH} Canadian immigration officials have granted visas to four members of the Ugandan freestyle kayaking team.

Comrade Robukui,

Kayake Team eventually given visas to Canada. The BBC reports each
member of the team had to have a Canadian sponsor guaranteering their
voluntary return to Uganda after the tournament. Good Luck to them


George Okello


Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen
More from Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen Published on: August 21, 2015 |
Last Updated: August 21, 2015 11:56 PM EDT ​
Ugandan kayaking team: Left front: Amina Tayona Right front: Yusuf
Basalirwa Left back: Sadat Kawawa Right back: David Egesa
​

Canadian immigration officials have granted visas to four members of
the Ugandan freestyle kayaking team.

They are now cleared to compete in the world freestyle championships
beginning Aug. 30 on the Ottawa River at Beachburg.

It was third time lucky for the kayakers, who had twice been refused
by the Canadian High Commission officials in Nairobi, Kenya, handling
their applications.

"They are ecstatic,' said team manager Sam Ward, a British citizen
who has been part of an effort by the international kayaking community
to get the visa decision reversed.

AdvertisementAmina Tayona, the only female in the group, collapsed in
tears when she heard the news that the visas had been granted, said
Ward.

"Then she went around hugging everyone," he added. "It was very
emotional. They are very happy."

Reality kicked in shortly afterwards when the team discovered that
their fares to Canada had doubled since their original visa
application.

But in five or six hours Friday they had crowd sourced their target of
$5,200 from kayakers across the world and with donations from many
individual Canadians.

The three visa applications — $200 per person for each application —
had eaten into the team's funds.


Related :Adam: Canada treats African athletes unfairly (Aug. 13)
Ugandan kayakers try for third time to get Canadian visas (Aug. 11)
Canada blocks Ugandan kayakers from Ottawa River world championship (Aug. 7)

Ottawa Citizen stories about the visa refusals during the past three
weeks produced an international outpouring of support, said Ward.

"The injustice of it all generated so much emotion from so many
people," he said. "I think that's why we have seen such a willingness
to help today when they were trying to raise the extra money."

Ward says he hopes to have his team in Ottawa by early next week.

"Every day counts for their training," he said. "It's going to be
quite limited anyway."

Citizenship and Immigration, bound by privacy regulations, have
refused to say publicly why the visa applications were refused.

But according to documents obtained by the Citizen, the Nairobi-based
officials refused visas to the four athletes over concerns they won't
return home.

The documents also suggested that the officials considered the reasons
for the quartet's proposed visit to Canada as unclear despite
supporting documentation from canoe and kayaking and other
organizations clearly stating the purpose.

A third application, together with letters of financial and material
support, resulted in a change of mind but it is unclear why.

CanoeKayak Canada urged the Canada Visa Application Centre in Africa
to allow the Ugandans to attend the championships.

"We are disappointed to hear through our friends in Uganda that their
freestyle team's visa applications have been denied. This is an
international event and participation from all countries that wish to
compete is imperative in assuring a high level of competition.
Furthermore, it is an opportunity for countries to unite in
celebration of sport while putting aside political and cultural
differences.

"Your efforts will go a long way in upholding Canada's highly regarded
reputation as an international sports host."

The championships will be held from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5.

The International Canoe Federation sanctions and hosts the event,
which will also be observed by Olympic officials.

The Ugandans are among 27 teams registered for the competition.

"They are all self-made heroes already within Uganda, starting from
very lowly beginnings, and are now established and well respected
members of their communities," Ward said in a previous interview with
the Citizen.

This is the third time the world championships have been held in
Canada and, according to organizers, there has never been a defection
of a competitor.

The Ugandan team is based at Jinja on the shore of Lake Victoria, near
the source of the White Nile. The area is a popular training spot and
attracts freestyle kayakers from across the globe.

Freestyle kayaking — sometimes referred to as the gymnastics of
kayaking — was an exhibition sport at the London Olympic Games in
2012.

Besides Uganda, registered teams are Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Finland,
France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland,
United States and Ukraine.

Organizers say they are unaware of athletes from any other country
being refused visas.

More information on the world championships at:
https://www.worldfreestylekayakchampionships.com/event/venue/

ccobb@ottawacitizen.com

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