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The US is currently in a state of chaos. Politically speaking the clowns are running the circus. For Tallahassee, Florida, we are talking about the Cirque du Soleil ahead of race weekend.
Immigration must have been notified that the World Athletics Championships will be taking place in Tallahassee, Florida. Someone should have warned that hundreds of athletes and thousands of people would descend on the Sunshine State.
Cirque du Soleil State
The alligator obstacles on the course may be fake, but the US government’s state of chaos is very real.
As it turns out, at least 14 Ethiopian athletes have had their US visa applications rejected. This threatens to break the country’s record medal streak for the under-20 age group championship wins.
Amensisa Kebede, the general secretary of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, said some coaches and team officials have also run into problems.
He said the federation applied for visas for its team at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa on Dec. 12 and Dec. 23, with its initial 34 visa requests all rejected.
The federation applied again on December 30, with every athlete who initially denied being rejected for a second time.
For the last four decades, Ethiopia has won a medal at every World Cross Country Championships. It has been a 44-year run, and the Ethiopians just want to compete, fair and square.
It was reported on Tuesday at www.letsrun.com that approximately 14 Ethiopian athletes were denied travel visas to the US ahead of the January 10 and 11th weekend championships in Tallahassee, Fla.
Did Ethiopia wait too long to apply?
However, it can be argued that the Ethiopian official waited too long to apply. Typically, a minimum of four to six weeks is recommended as lead time to apply for the visas.
Applying as late as 12 days is cutting it very close and is often considered late. Many countries recommend applying 4-6 weeks or even 3 months ahead. This is recommended especially for complex visas or peak seasons. This is due to potential appointment backlogs and processing times that can range from days to weeks. While some fast-track options may work, a standard visa application with an embassy appointment two weeks out is a risk.
With the current state of chaos with border security, or US Customs and Immigration Enforcement, and the concern over global conflicts instigated by the US, World Athletics and organizers should have recommended early applications for all. It is unknown at this time if the advice was given.