The Senegal women’s basketball team have canceled their 10-day training in the US
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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Meanwhile, watch the latest edition of Sports Check with former Hearts of Oak midfielder Frederick Ansah Botchway