Marva Bernard, president of the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA), says time is running out on her association's bid to secure visas for the Under-21 players who were denied entry into the United States last Monday.
The junior Sunshine Girls are scheduled to leave the island in August for the World Youth Netball Championships, which will be held in Cook Islands from August 6-22. According to Bernard, it is expected to take up to two weeks to secure the American visas, after which the documents will have to be sent off to the New Zealand consulate, so visas can be aquired to pass through that country.
Huge blow
"This will be a huge blow for us if these players are not able to travel to the Cook Islands because we have selected 12 of our finest girls and it tough for us if they are not given a transit visa," Bernard told The Gleaner.
The three players who were denied visas were all defenders and they were among seven of their teammates, who went to the embassy to acquire documents that would allow them to obtain the visas.
"We are not stopping for anything in the United States and I am very emphatic about this," she said.
"It is a challenge but we have continued to prepare and behave as if these girls have received their transit visas," Bernard said. "They have worked really hard and I don't see any reason why the American government won't consider giving them a transit visa."
Senior squad
"Some of these girls are going to go over to our senior squad and from time to time the senior squad goes out into Australia and New Zealand and we have to travel through America," Bernard said.
Bernard noted that the JNA has contacted the Ministry of Sport, the Jamaica Olympic Association and the Foreign Affairs offices about the matter.
The C. Lloyd Walker coached-team, which finished fourth at the last tournament in Florida, is drawn in Pool D alongside Malawi, Singapore and Papua New Guinea in the tournament.
In the build-up to the champion-ships, the Jamaicans, who rank among the favourites to lift this year's title, defeated arch-rivals England 2-1 in a three-match series at the G.C. Foster College in St Catherine in April.