The lackadaisical approach by Ghana Tennis Federation (GTF) regarding visa acquisition for junior tennis players has led to the Egypt Embassy denying the players the chance to represent the country at the African Junior Tennis Championship, which began on Monday, February 6, 2023.
The tournament could have been a breakthrough for some of the players.
In two years, players going for tournaments have been denied visas by various embassies.
Most of these players were playing ITF juniors; some had plans to travel for ITF tournament and others were preparing to write exams.
However, the youngsters had to shelve their long cherished dreams of representing the country.
Our source reveals that they submitted players’ passports on January 24, while the Federation knew very well that the tournament takes off on February 6, 2023.
The competition’s requirement is that submission should be 15 working days clear of the date of travel. Evidently, the documents were submitted late, which led to the refusal.
Sources further revealed that these youngsters received support from benevolent individuals during their three weeks of intensive training at Accra Tennis Club.
During the training, no GTF board member was there to support the young players, and logistics for training came in the last day of training.
Since it became public that the junior tennis team won’t make it to the African Junior Tennis Championship, the Federation has not released any official statement to that effect, leaving it to the parents of these players to wonder about the administration running Ghana Tennis Federation.
The affected junior tennis players, parent said, were frustrated by the Federation’s approach to the issue.
“You can see clearly they were not on top of their game. It saddens our hearts that our children could not make it to the tournament and no one has even called us- (GTF President Isaac Aboagye Duah and Secretary Philipina Frimpong) directly to explain or apologise.”
Sadly, the affected young players will be deducted ITF points for failing to participate.
Attempt to reach the Federation president for his response on the matter proved unsuccessful.
From The Sports Desk