Shashwat Dalal, a professional badminton player with international experience, has taken to Twitter to express his concerns about the delay in obtaining a US visa for the world championships.
Despite his impressive credentials, which include high rankings and championship invitations, he has been given an appointment date at the central office for September 2023, well after his tournaments are scheduled for June.
Dalal’s tweet has garnered significant attention on social media, with many users expressing support and hoping that he will be able to secure the necessary visa in time to participate in the championships.
On April 15th, Dalal shared his extensive qualifications as a badminton player and student pursuing a B.Tech degree from Delhi Technological University, having represented India in various international badminton championships, and currently ranking 382 in Men’s Singles (392 according to BWF’s official website). He has also received an invitation from Badminton Oceania, one of the continental bodies under the Badminton World Federation.
Shashwat tweeted, “I am Shashwat Dalal ,International Badminton Player and currently pursuing B.Tech from Delhi Technological University. I have represented India in various International badminton championships . My current world badminton ranking is 382 in Men’s Singles.”
“I have been officially invited by Badminton Oceania to participate in the very prestigious tournaments to be held at Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands namely Northern Marianas Open 2023 and Saipan International 2023 which comes under U.S. Commonwealth and requires U.S. Visa,” he added.
The badminton player in the series of tweets said, “Moreover these tournaments are also qualifying events for PARIS OLYMPICS 2024.Therefore i sincerely request to your goodself to help me in providing solution to the problem to get USA B1/B2 visa so that i may participate in said events and bring laurels to my country.”
According to Shashwat, although he requested an appointment online for the aforementioned visa, he have been assigned a VAC date of September 12, 2023, and a CONSULAR APPOINTMENT date of September 13, 2023, both of which fall after the scheduled events from June 6-11, 2023, and June 13-18, 2023, at the US Embassy in New Delhi.
He ended the thread with a hopeful message stating, “If I miss these tournaments just due to visa it will be a great loss to my career too. So I hope that you have understood the situation so you are kindly requested to provide me the solution so that I may focus on my training. Hoping that this tweet reaches the right people.”
He made an appeal to the authorities for help in acquiring a visa in time for his upcoming tournaments. He provided evidence, such as the invitation letter from the Northern Marianas Badminton Association and his online visa appointment, which unfortunately contradicted the tournament dates, leaving him with no option but to seek emergency assistance.
He expressed his concern about the potential negative impact on his career if he misses these tournaments due to visa issues. He concluded his plea with a heartfelt request for a solution, hoping that his message reaches the right people so he can focus on his training.
