US Embassy cancels B/ballers visas
By Donald Duff
Stabroek News
July 11, 2002
The United States Embassy here in Guyana has “cancelled without prejudice” non-immigrant visas issued to local basketballers and officials that were part of the Guyana team to the just-concluded 16th CARICOM basketball championships in the US Virgin Islands.
Manager of the Guyana team Perry Woolford told Stabroek Sport that based on the interview requirements he was told to return to the US Embassy in Kingston on return from the championships.
However due to flight problems the Guyana team never left and Woolford duly returned the passports of the players and officials to the Embassy who duly cancelled the visas.
Meanwhile Woolford said yesterday given conflicting instructions given by president of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Godwin Mc Pherson prior to the team’s departure could be blamed as the reasons for the team’s failure to travel.
He said in his capacity as manager of the team he was first informed that the team would travel with Caribbean Star Airlines Tortola. From Tortola they would then take a boat costing US$40,00 to St Thomas.
However, Woolford said he was later told by Mc Pherson that Pan American World Travel was arranging for the tickets and that they would depart Guyana on June 28th for Antigua on BWIA 462 check-in time being 5.30a.m.
Woolford said he was told that the players and officials were to uplift their tickets at the airport.
They would arrive in Barbados at around 6.45a.m, join LIAT 362 at 8.15am for Antigua and arrive at Antigua around 9.35a.m.
They would then depart Antigua at 11.25a.m and arrive in St Thomas at 1.10p.m.
He said he was told that tickets would be at the airport for the following players and officials himself-manager, Bobby Cadogan -coach, Lugard Mohan, Andrew Ifill, Bruce Davis and Howard Peters a FIBA qualified referee who was scheduled to officiate at the championships.
Three overseas-based players Stephen Nurse, Pierre Goddette and Dexter Martin were to join the team on the same flight using their return tickets they travelled from the USA with and on arrival in Barbados they were to upgrade the tickets with the payment of US$100 each.
After making the necessary arrangements Woolford said he received a call from Mc Pherson at around 10 minutes to one informing him not to proceed as there might be some flight problems and to wait on further instructions.
Woolford said he subsequently learnt that some of the overseas-based players also turned up at John F. Kennedy airport in the US only to find out there were no tickets for them.
Woolford said he has opened discussions with the Antigua Basketball Association seeking the possible participation of a team at the annual Leeward Islands Basketball tournament. Once the Leeward Islands is willing to accommodate the locals Woolford said he would be seeking permission from the GABF.