Sports News of Friday, 20 June 2025

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The United States of America (USA) have refused to grant visas to some members of Senegal’s women basketball team who were scheduled to train in the country on June 19, 2025.

The team had planned to train in the US ahead of the Afrobasket 2025 tournament, set to commence in July in Ivory Coast.

In response to the visa denial, Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, wrote on his Facebook page that he was “informed about the refusal to issue visas to several members of the Senegalese women’s national basketball team.”

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on June 20, 2025, the minister then ordered the nation’s Minister of Sports to cancel the team’s intended 10-day training camp in the US.

The President of the Senegalese Basketball Federation explained that old visas were accepted, but all new requests were denied.

“Those who held old visas had their old visas accepted, but new requests were rejected,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the US State Department declined to comment on the reason behind the decision when contacted by AFP.

However, the decision comes amid US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and robust border controls.

Notably, Senegal are among the 36 nations the US is considering imposing a travel ban on, according to an internal administration memo.

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Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko expressed his “deep gratitude” to China on Thursday for its support of the country’s women’s basketball team, after the United States rejected visas for several members ahead of a planned training camp.

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The visa refusals come amid US President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown and tightened border controls.

Senegal is among 36 nations the US is considering adding to a travel ban barring entry to its territory, according to an internal administration memo.

America is set to co-host the 2026 Fifa World Cup with Canada and Mexico, and stage the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Posting on Facebook, Sonko said he had been told “about the refusal to issue visas to several members of the Senegalese women’s national basketball team”.

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He said he had instructed the country’s ministry of sports to “simply cancel the ten-day preparatory training”.

Senegal Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko told his country’s minister of sports to cancel what was to have been a 10-day training camp in the US. PHOTO: AFP

US refuses visas for members of Senegal’s women’s basketball team, says its PM

DAKAR – The United States rejected visa applications for members of Senegal’s women’s basketball team which was scheduled to train in the US, according to Dakar officials, as Washington tightens border controls and reportedly mulls a travel ban extension.

The tense border situation has caused consternation for some athletes and fans who plan to attend the 2026 Fifa World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in the United States.

Senegal is among 36 nations that the US is considering adding to a travel ban barring entry to its territory, according to an internal administration memo.

In a heated post, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko posted on Facebook that he had been “informed about the refusal to issue visas to several members of the Senegalese women’s national basketball team”.

He said that he had instructed his country’s minister of sports to cancel what was to have been a 10-day training camp in the US.

According to Mr Babacar Ndiaye, president of the Senegalese Basketball Federation, the US only renewed visas for “those who held old visas and rejected new requests”.

A total of 12 visas – five for players and seven for the team’s staff – were rejected, according to a federation statement late June 19.

Les Lionnes had been slated to train in the US ahead of the AfroBasket 2025 tournament in Ivory Coast, which begins in July.

A spokesperson for the US State Department told AFP that it was not able to comment on individual cases, while the US Embassy in Senegal did not reply to a request for comment.

In addition to pulling the plug on the training, Mr Sonko thanked China for having “awarded dozens of training scholarships for our athletes and their coaches”.

The US travel ban already in place affects 12 countries.

The order says it is not meant to apply to athletes competing in the World Cup or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. AFP

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The Senegalese women’s basketball team has scrapped plans to train in the U.S. for the upcoming AfroBasket tournament in the Ivory Coast next month after several players and team officials had their visas denied, Senegal’s prime minister said.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said on Facebook Thursday that the team would train in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, “in a sovereign and conducive setting.”

The West African nation’s federation said in a statement that the visa applications of five players and seven officials weren’t approved.

“Informed of the refusal of issuing visas to several members of the Senegal women’s national basketball team, I have instructed the Ministry of Sports to simply cancel the 10-day preparatory training initially planned in the United States of America,” Sonko said.

The visa denials come amid a push by the Trump administration to have countries improve vetting travelers or face a ban on their citizens visiting the United States. Senegal wasn’t on that list of countries and it was not immediately clear why the visas were denied.

The travel ban includes exemptions for the World Cup, the Olympics and any “other major sporting event,” though it’s unclear what is considered a major event.

The team is coached by Otis Hughley Jr., who previously led the Nigerian women’s basketball team. He was the men’s coach at Alabama A&M before resigning in March.

Senegal, which was going to train in the U.S. from Sunday through July 3, has finished either first or second in four of the last five AfroBasket championships over the last decade and has won 11 titles in total. The tournament determines Africa’s champion, which earns entry into the FIBA World Cup next year in Germany.

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Senegal are gearing up for the AfroBasket tournament in July [Basket Sénégal]

A training camp for the Senegalese women’s basketball team in the US has been scrapped, with the West African nation’s prime minister saying he cancelled it because some of the squad were denied US visas.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the team would now train in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, “in a sovereign and conducive setting”.

It comes amid reports that the US plans to impose fresh travel restrictions on 25 more African countries, including Senegal.

Earlier this month the US announced a ban on citizens from 12 countries, including seven from Africa. There were also partial travel restrictions on nationals from a further seven countries, with three from Africa.

The Senegalese basketball team had planned to train in the US for 10 days to warm up for the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket tournament in Ivory Coast next month.

But the visa applications for five players and seven officials were not approved, according to a statement from the federation.

This prompted an angry response from the prime minister.

“Informed of the refusal of issuing visas to several members of the Senegal women’s national basketball team, I have instructed the Ministry of Sports to simply cancel the ten-day preparatory training initially planned in the United States of America,” Sonko said on Thursday in a statement shared to social media.

It is not clear why the visas were denied.

A US State Department spokesperson told the BBC it could not comment on individual cases because visa records are confidential under American law.

Senegal has one of the best women’s basketball teams in Africa – consistently reaching the final four in AfroBasket tournaments and boasting players from top leagues in the US, Europe and Egypt.

The visa refusals are raising eyebrows because, according to the recently leaked diplomatic cable containing details of the extended travel restrictions, targeted countries were given up to 60 days to address the concerns raised by the US.

These reportedly include people overstaying their visas, lack of co-operation with deportations, links to terror attacks in the US, antisemitism or what it termed “anti-American” activity.

Following the reported new travel restrictions, Senegal’s foreign ministry urged nationals to comply with their permitted periods of stay in the US.

Although it did not directly comment on Senegal’s possible inclusion in the latest list of restricted countries, the government statement underscored that diplomatic and consular services were working in close collaboration with the US administration.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yussuf Tuggar said the expanded travel bans could impede possible energy and rare earth mineral deals which West African countries can offer the US.

The Trump administration insists national security concerns and the high rate of visa overstays from some countries must be addressed.

More BBC stories about Senegal:

[Getty Images/BBC]

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