Athlete slams US order
‘President Trump introduced a policy that comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice’
SOMALIA-born British distance running icon Sir Mo Farah has slammed the order of US President Donald Trump to ban citizens from seven Muslim countries from entering the country, as US and international sports braced for a possible backlash.
There are concerns in the US that the presidential order could harm Los Angeles’ chances when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) elects the 2024 host city in September and could also affect a possible bid for the 2026 football World Cup.
Professional American sports teams could be hurt too as some of their players are from the seven countries, but the issue remains unclear, and a New York court late on Saturday ruled that those with a valid visa who are already in the country or in transit can stay.
It also remains unclear how athletes training and / or competing in the US would be affected by the order, which bars entry to all travellers from Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and Sudan for 90 days.
The most prominent is arguably Farah, who won 5 000m and 10 000m golds at the last two Olympics and world championships.
British news reports said he did not hold a Somali passport, but Farah feared that despite his British citizenship, he could still be barred from entering the US, where his wife and children live.
“On 27th January, President Donald Trump seems to have made me an alien,” Farah said on Sunday on Facebook.
“I am a British citizen who has lived in America for the past six years – working hard, contributing to society, paying my taxes and bringing up our four children in the place they now call home.
“Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome.
“It’s deeply troubling that I will have to tell my children that Daddy might not be able to come home – to explain why the President has introduced a policy that comes from a place of ignorance and prejudice.”
Trump’s order could also hit the American-Iranian relationship in the sport of wrestling, while the National Basketball Association has two Sudan-born players, Thon Maker of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luol Deng.
Both have dual citizenship, with Maker also carrying an Australian passport and Deng a British one.
Maker reportedly returned to the US without problems after a Friday game in Toronto, but NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said the league was in contact with the authorities.
“We have reached out to the State Department and are in the process of gathering information to understand how this executive order would apply to players in our league who are from one of the impacted countries,” he said.
“The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world.”
Bucks vice-president Alexander Lasry meanwhile tweeted on Friday regarding Maker that “a Sudanese refugee who fled oppression and is an incredible young man will make his second NBA start.
“I’m incredibly excited and proud of him. He’s a symbol of what makes America great and all immigrants.”
Los Angeles officials meanwhile will be fearing Olympic repercussions in the September vote against Paris and Budapest.
The IOC opposes any kind of discrimination in its charter and took a lot of pride from a refugee team at last year’s Rio Games – with Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini as the face of the team. – dpa TUESDAY JANUARY 31 2017