When it rains, it pours, and for a 19-year-old Ethiopian track and field star, the downpour has been relentless. The steeplechaser finished fifth among seasoned athletes at the Paris Olympics. If that wasn’t enough, the 3000m steeplechase specialist became the U20 world champion a few weeks later at Lima. Unfortunately, just as the athlete took flight, visa issues clipped her ambitions this season.

After success in Paris and setting a meet record in Lima, Sembo Almayew had high hopes for the Diamond League Finals. Competing and possibly winning against more seasoned competitors would’ve been an invaluable lesson for the runner. Unfortunately, the European Union has denied the athlete’s visa request and fans are not happy with the decision.

“This is shameful. I can maybe understand the delay for someone new that they’re unfamiliar with, but Sembo Almayew is an established world-class athlete. There has to be an expedited process for athletes in situations like this. Ethiopia’s EU ambassador should file a complaint.” a track and field enthusiast commented on X. Yet, such occurrences are not new, and a complaint won’t solve it.

Even in 2022, the Ethiopian cross-country team faced serious visa-related issues ahead of the World Cross Country Championships at Leopardstown, Ireland. Unfortunately, the European Union has introduced The European Union introduced some stringent visa policies for those making the trip. The EU “announced that the processing time for visas for Ethiopian nationals will triple, increasing from 15 to 45 days,” wrote Aman. The X-user is a photographer for Ethiopian track and field athletes who broke the news on social media.

One fan couldn’t believe that the EU would hamper athletes’ careers in such a manner. “Triple?” the netizen question on X. Sembo Almayew’s management agency, Elite Running Team answered the question in an official statement on Instagram. “We are very disappointed to announce… Sembo Alemayew of Ethiopia will not be able to participate in next week’s Diamond League Final at the Memorial Van Damme Meeting in Brussels due to a lack of visa.” the announcement read.

Elite Running Agency explained that “even with all of her athletic accolades,” Almayew won’t get her visa in time to participate in Brussels. They also mentioned that the EU made these announcements as recently as April 2024. However, track and field fans couldn’t accept the fact that a promising track and field athlete wouldn’t get to prove her mettle at such a prestigious event.

The track and field community calls for change

“Athletes withdrawing due to Visa issues still! This has to change.” X-page Track Spice commented on the post. While the 19-year-old prodigy might be the latest victim of such policies, she is far from the only one. In 2022, African 100mm champion Ferdinand Omanyala faced visa issues ahead of the World Championships. However, the Kenyan faced these issues trying to secure a U.S. visa.

“I am not giving up on the World Championships yet,” Omnalya told BBC Sports as he and his team scrambled to get a visa to Eugene, Oregon. While this way two years ago, things have yet to improve for African athletes. Two members of the Nigerian Women’s National Football (soccer) Team found it incredibly difficult trying to reach Spain ahead of the Paris Olympics.

While most of the Super Falcons arrived in Spain, Uchenna Kanu and Chiwendu Ihezuo’s visas got delayed. Yet even those who made it had to jump through several hoops to reach Spain. Macleans Chinenye fumed at the prospect of flying from Russia to Nigeria to pick up the visa and then fly to Spain on short notice, reported Shengen news. However, the junior team fared far worse.

Just as Sembo Almayew will miss the Diamond League finals, the Nigerian U16 women’s scoring team couldn’t compete in the 2024 UEFA U16 Development Tournament. Schengen News reported that Spain denied the visa for the young athlete. This is why one track and field fan simply expressed her frustration at yet another athlete suffering a blow to her career. “A constant issue for Ethiopian/African athletes – getting visas in time to make it to races. Unfortunate for Sembo.” commented one track and field community member.

Meanwhile, another X-user couldn’t fathom how such a blunder could happen. “How this could happen? What is the time frame to request your visa? Why (didn’t) Yoni or her coach prepare the process ahead of time??” the fan asked frantically. Elite Running Team didn’t elaborate on when they had applied or how long it took.

However, none of that would matter because as the athlete didn’t get a visa even after qualifying for the Diamond League Finals. Almayew will possibly have to close the season on this disappointing note as the 2024 track and field is nearing its end. Yet what are your views on the situation? Tell us in the comments.