U.S. ban threatens Olympic dream
Montreal triathlete born in Syria can’t enter U.S. qualifying races
Mohamad Alsabbagh says he considers himself lucky to live in Canada and train here as a triathlete, with a dream of competing in the 2020 Olympics.
It has been treacherous for fellow athletes back in Syria, where he was born.
One friend with whom Alsabbagh, 26, trained every day as a junior elite triathlete before leaving Syria in 2010 died in a recent bombing in the country, which is convulsed by civil war. Another athlete friend lost a leg in a bombing.
But even in the safety and welcoming embrace of Canada, politics have placed an unexpected hurdle in Alsabbagh’s path to the Tokyo Olympics.
Like other Muslim athletes in Canada, Alsabbagh may be blocked from competing in the United States for the foreseeable future.
The U.S. federal appeals court has upheld the suspension of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning visitors who are citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria. However, some Muslim Quebecers — athletes and from other walks of life — have been detained and refused entry by U.S. border control agents.
For an athlete, elite international competitions in the U.S. are important opportunities to accumulate points that work toward world ranking and Olympic qualification.
“Every race is a mini-step towards the big goal of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,” Alsabbagh said.
He studied information technology after arriving in Montreal and currently holds four part-time jobs as a triathlon coach, lifeguard and swimming instructor while he trains 20-plus hours a week in his disciplines of swimming, cycling and running.
“There are several races in the U.S. every year. And they could be particularly convenient being closer than most of the other races, which are in Europe or Asia,” he said. “I need every possible chance to race in order to gain these precious points.”
Alsabbagh is ranked ninth by Triathlon Québec in the Quebec elite men’s division and he placed fifth at the West Asian Triathlon Championships in November. He’s currently profiled in Triathlon Magazine Canada.
Alsabbagh says he has lots of support from friends, who are helping him raise funds for his training and travel, notably through a website — www.mo2.tokyo. To that end, he was considering competing in three races in the U.S. this year, in March, May and October.
However, with his Syrian nationality, Alsabbagh says he contacted the U.S. consulate after the presidential executive order was signed in January and was told it meant that he’d be denied entry into the country.
Alsabbagh became a permanent resident of Canada in 2014 and says he was already planning to apply for citizenship when he becomes eligible after next year.
Yet with the recent incidents at the border while the presidential order is suspended, it appears that Canadian citizenship wouldn’t help him anyway.
Just last week, Université de Sherbrooke student Yassine Aber, a member of the university’s track and field relay team, was detained, questioned and then refused entry at a U.S. border crossing while driving to Boston with his team to compete at an important collegiate event.
Aber was born in Quebec to parents with Canadian citizenship who were born in Morocco, a country that’s not even included in the presidential executive order.
What’s more, the border agents couldn’t tell Aber, who has competed in the U.S. before, what his chances would be of gaining entry to the U.S. if he tried again in the future.
Why Aber, among all his teammates, was pulled aside to be questioned and then refused entry is unclear, and it has the Université de Sherbrooke reconsidering what U.S. events — whether sporting or academic — it will send its students to in future, said Alain Webster, the university’s vice-rector responsible for athletics.
“The uncertainty is one of the most troubling parts,” Webster said, adding that Aber was travelling with his valid Canadian passport.
“We find the situation deplorable.”
The university will raise the incident with other universities in Canada, since it could have happened to a student at any other school in the country, he added.
Aber’s team is scheduled to return to the U.S. for a training camp in April, but that’s now in doubt while the university seeks an explanation of what happened to Aber, Webster said.
“We’ll try to minimize this type of unpleasant situation,” he said. “So we’ll have to ask ourselves what competitions we go to, what trainings we go to, how often. There’s a reflection to be had at all Canadian universities.”
Alsabbagh says he also wonders if he should take his chances at the U.S. border to see if he can attend any of his coming races while the presidential executive order is suspended.
“All of these issues make me a bit uncomfortable travelling to the U.S., and even other countries, in the future,” he said. “As a man from Syria named Mohamad, obtaining visas and travelling has always been difficult for me, even before this ban was put in place.”
But not even trying would only make the road to his Olympic dream longer.
The 2020 Olympic Games have particular meaning for Alsabbagh.
Syria didn’t send triathletes to compete in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. A few triathletes are still training in the country, he said, but most Syrian triathletes are training outside its borders. Besides the danger, war has made food and water scarce.
“My motivation comes from the drive to give hope not only to Syrian people,” Alsabbagh said, “but to everyone out there seeking help and who might not believe that their ambitions are possible.”
All of these issues make me a bit uncomfortable travelling to the U.S., and even other countries, in the future.