The Rwanda athletics team head coach Adolph Rukenkanya has expressed disappointment following the failure to participate in the just concluded World Cross Country Championship in Edinburgh, Scotland. Speaking to Times Sport on Tuesday after the team’s return from Edinburgh, Rukenkanya did not blame anybody for the travel mess but preferred for a meeting aimed at evaluating everybody’s role in regard to the whole Scotland trip. I would prefer a meeting aimed at evaluating everybody’s role in the preparation of the whole trip. This will help in knowing who to hold responsible for the mess, the Burundian trainer stated. According to Rukenkanya, the Edinburgh trip was marred by the British embassy issuing work visas instead of travel visas to the Rwandan team. Processing work visas delayed our travel after we had reached in Nairobi on Friday (last month) thus boarding the following day. If it was not for the British High Commissioner in Kenya, we would not have made the trip to London the following day (Saturday) after he talked to Kenya airways officials, he noted The five man squad later made the trip to London on Saturday night (11pm), arriving at Heathrow airport at 8:30am local time. The trip to Edinburgh stood at a standstill after their scheduled flight was pushed to 11am local time with the event expected in two hours. The team later reached Edinburgh cross country championship site 24 minutes after the event had already started. Meanwhile, the local athletics body is organizing an extraordinary meeting this weekend so as to sort out this mess. The Rwandan team, which applied for British visas on Tuesday last week, was initially expected to head for Scotland on Thursday but the visa hitch forced them to postpone their travel to Friday but this was not possible and the team later made it to Kenya the following day. Only five members on the team namely Adolph Rukenkanya, Slyvain Rukundo, Gervais Hakizimana, Jean Baptista Simuceka and Angelline Nyiransabimana managed to get visas. Those who were denied visas included Felix Ntirenganya, Godfrey Rutayisire Cyriaque Ndayikengurikiye, Pelagie Musengimana and Claudette Mukasakindi and Genessi Nyirahabimana. On Saturday night the five made the trip to Edinburgh connecting through London with the rest of the athletes who were denied visas returning home the same day.Ends
