Athletics Kenya break silence on Omanyala US visa saga
Ferdinand Omanyala of Team Kenya and Oblique Seville of Team Jamaica compete in the Men’s 100 Meter Semi-Final on day two of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 16, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
What you need to know:
- Tuwei said after the national trials on June 24 to 25 this year, a contingent of 80 athletes and officials were selected with Athletics Kenya engaging an external expert firm to process the visa applications for the travelling delegation to ensure a smooth process.
Athletics Kenya have said that Ferdinand Omanyala’s visa for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States was delayed after he was required to verify some facts.
AK president Jack Tuwei, at the same time, dismissed allegations that 32 government officials might have accompanied Team Kenya to Oregon as "baseless and false."
Tuwei said that Omanyala, who is also the Africa 100m champion, went for Visa biometrics at the Embassy of the United States of America in Nairobi on July 7 alongside other athletes.
“The rest were issued with their visas a day later while Omanyala’s passport was not released. When we inquired why, we were informed that he needed to fill in an additional form referred to as supplementary questions for visa applicants, to verify some facts,” said Tuwei in a statement Monday evening.
Tuwei noted that neither the ministry nor Athletics Kenya could intervene because the required processes by the Embassy had to be undertaken individually.
Tuwei explained that it took the intervention of the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed for Omanyala to be given the travel document.
Tuwei said after the national trials on June 24 to 25 this year, a contingent of 80 athletes and officials were selected with Athletics Kenya engaging an external expert firm to process the visa applications for the travelling delegation to ensure a smooth process.
“The allegations that 32 government officials travelled to Oregon fraudulently is news to Athletics Kenya,” said Tuwei, adding that to the best of his knowledge, only three government officials will travel to Oregon for the World Championships.
“The Ministry has put in place a strict policy that ensures that only officials with specific roles accompany teams out of the country, a responsibility entrusted to Athletics Kenya in a comprehensive brief from the ministry," said Tuwei.
In this case, Tuwei explained that AK expected Amina to travel with the team to the championships for the scheduled meetings with Team Kenya kit sponsors, Nike and World Athletics.
“Allegations claiming that persons other than athletes and support personnel travelled illegally to Oregon are false and unsubstantiated,“ said Tuwei.
Director of Criminal Investigations, George Kinoti, on Friday said his agency had been called into investigate alleged inclusion of joyriders to the list of athletes, coaches and technical officers submitted by AK.
Alleged inflation of the travel list from 80 persons to 112 apparently caused delays in issuance of US travel Visas to athletes, including Africa’s fastest man Omanyala who nearly missed the fete.
Omanyala went on to lose in the semis-finals Sunday morning as Fred Kerley whom he beat at the Kip Kieno Classic on May 7 won the world title.
