Last week, there was a distressing appeal on social media. It was pertaining to players not receiving any updates about their Canadian visas before the candidates, an elite chess event (it begins in the first week of April). Visa issues have been repeating in worrying regularity, an indication that the issuance is turning more political than ever.
“Regrettably, players from various countries worldwide, who submitted their visa applications [a] few months ago, have not yet received any updates on their status. With only a month remaining till the FIDE Candidates Tournament, there are grave concerns about the timely arrival of the players to Toronto,” the world chess body FIDE had posted on X.
They were concerned and even threatened to shift if something was not done urgently. This time Canada is hosting both the Open and women’s categories. Among the affected were at least four Indians including R Praggnanandhaa and sister R Vaishali. Five Indians have qualified.
Things get complicated for Indians because of the much-publicised strained diplomatic ties between India and Canada over the killing of a pro-Khalistan Sikh Canadian citizen on its soil. There is less than a month for the event to begin, but since 10 days are required to issue a visa after formalities are complete, Indian players and coaches are a worried lot.
The visas may be issued before their planned travel date of March 29, but that it is taking more time than usual is definitely a worrying sign. This instance is not alone. In 2022, when Oregon in the US hosted the World Athletics Championships, 100s of athletes, coaches and officials were affected due to visa delays. Some of the top stars including Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala reached the venue hours before their events.
A few Indians, too, were struggling. Last year during the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Arunachal Pradesh wushu athletes were denied accreditation that acts as visas, prompting the India to lodge a protest with China and its organisers. After the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, there were issues regarding participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes for a while. Iran keeps facing issues.
So do some African nations. This is disheartening for players who, instead of focusing on sports, have to tackle these avoidable issues. It is time international federations governing sports took these issues up seriously with all stakeholders including the governments and the International Olympic Committee. Usually, the right to host a multi-nation event is given only after the country’s commitment to issue visas, to all. Sports, after all, transcends politics.