The
Nigerian contingent set to represent the country at the 2020 All Africa Men’s
and Women’s Team Badminton Championships in Egypt have finally been given visas
by the Egyptian Embassy after an initial delay.
President of the Badminton
Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbih, said the players and officials got their
visas Tuesday evening.
He however said the embassy denied the vice president and two umpires who were
officially invited by the African body for officiating and certification.
Some people who were part of
the contingent had withdrawn and dropped out because of all the stress.
The
Nigerian team, who are the No.1 team in Africa, have already missed out of the
team event, which started on Monday because of the visa issues.
They will however be able to
feature in the singles event, which starts on Friday.
The team event serves as the
qualifiers for the men and women’s team event of the Thomas and Uber Cup billed
to hold in Denmark between May 16 and 24, while the singles event serves as
qualifiers for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.