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Entry ban for Senegal: Basketball dream team loses training camp!
The Senegalese women's national basketball team has to cancel its training camp in the USA due to rejected visas and is now preparing in Dakar.
Entry ban for Senegal: Basketball dream team loses training camp!
The Senegalese women's national basketball team will not be able to travel to the United States because the U.S. government has rejected a total of 12 of the team's visa applications. Five players and seven members of the support staff are affected. Therefore, a ten-day training camp in the USA planned for the period from June 22nd to July 3rd was canceled. This decision is part of the stricter entry regulations under the current US administration. fr.de reports.
The Senegalese Basketball Federation announced on Friday that Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has ordered the Sports Ministry to cancel the training camp in the United States. Instead it will now take place in Dakar. This paves the way for comprehensive competition preparation before the African Championships in July in Ivory Coast.
Background to the visa rejection
The US government has tightened entry requirements under the Trump administration. A travel ban for twelve countries and visa restrictions for seven other countries were previously announced. Senegal was not initially on this list; however, there are considerations to extend the ban to up to 36 additional countries, including Senegal. These decisions could have a significant impact on international sport. nytimes.com informed.
Even if the extended travel ban is not yet in force, the rules for the Senegalese national team are still up in the air. Visa applications for affected members are confidential under U.S. law, meaning the U.S. government cannot comment on individual cases. Therefore, it remains unclear what specific reasons led to the rejected applications.
Preparation for the African Championships
The training camp in Dakar is now seen as a preparatory step for the Women’s AfroBasket, Africa’s continental basketball championship. Senegal tops the medal table and has won an impressive 11 titles, the most in the competition's history. Sonko also praised the support from China, which is providing grants for the preparation of athletes and their support staff, especially with a view to the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.
The cancellation of the training camp represents a significant cut in preparation for the competition, which poses challenges for the team. Whether and how the preparations can be adjusted remains to be seen.