The United States has denied granting visas to several key members of the Senegal women’s basketball team.
The team, known as Les Lionnes, was heading to the U.S. to train ahead of the Afrobasket 2025 tournament in Ivory Coast.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made this known while announcing the cancellation of the 10-day camp.
The Prime Minister said the Senegal women’s basketball team has now opted to train in Dakar.
Giving further details, Babacar Ndiaye, president of the Senegalese Basketball Federation, said that the United States only renewed visas for “those who held old visas and rejected new requests”.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass gathered that the visa denials affected five players: a doctor, a physiotherapist, two federation representatives, a steward, the general manager, and a ministerial delegate.
While the reason for the denial remains sketchy, it comes amidst immigration policies under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
This development comes after a leaked memo unveiled a sweeping travel ban on several countries.
The draft list included 25 African nations such as Senegal, Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Cameroon, raising concerns of targeted policies against the continent.
Other countries on the list include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bhutan, Cambodia, Syria, and Tonga.
