Syrian swimmer denies Canada visa

In violation of the Olympic ethics, the Canadian Embassy in Beirut declined to give Syrian swimmer Saleh Mohammad an entry visa to participate in the Swimming World Championship to be held next Saturday in Canada. In a statement to SANA sports reporter, Omar Ashour, the secretary of the Swimming Union, said the justifications which the consular office of the Canadian embassy has given for not giving Mohammad the entry visa are totally unconvincing. Ashour noted that the justifications focused on "an insufficient period of residence, unclear reason for the visit and that Mohammad's financial situation does not make it sure that he will leave Canada once his visit period is over." The Swimming Union's Secretary however stressed that they had presented to the consular office official papers which included the text of the official invitation addressed to the Union form the committee organizing the Canada championship, in addition to information on Mohammad and his achievements. As for the financial situation, Ashour said this was the first time such an item was referred to in any of Mohammad's previous participations and in those of any other athlete as the organizing committees are usually the ones to secure all guarantees. Mohammad recently won the golden medal in 10 km marathon swim at the Asian Open Water Swimming Championship that was held in Kazakhsta. He won the golden medals of 5 km swim and 10 km swim within the competitions of the 1st Asian Beach Games which took place in the Indonesian city of Bali in 2008. Mohammad also earned the gold medal in 5 km race and the silver medal in 10 km race within the 2nd Asian Beach Games held in Oman in 2010. Source: SANA