Ghanaian sprinter Ibrahim Fuseini has opened up on his absence from the just-ended World Athletics Relays in Botswana, citing travel complications that prevented him from joining the team.
Fuseini, who was expected to be part of Ghana’s men’s 4x100m relay squad, revealed in an exclusive interview with Joy Sports that he missed his initial flight after arriving late at the airport.
“For the first ticket I received on April 28, I got to the airport late and missed check-in by about six minutes, so they didn’t allow me to check in and I missed that flight.”
According to Fuseini, a second ticket was later arranged with Gaborone as the final destination. However, further complications arose when airline officials refused to issue his boarding pass, insisting he required a visa despite holding a Ghanaian passport.
“When I went to the airport for the second ticket, the airline refused to issue my boarding pass, saying I needed a visa before I could travel. I explained that Gaborone is my final destination and, as a Ghanaian passport holder, I shouldn’t need a visa for Botswana.”
Fuseini added that he provided supporting documents, including his U.S. student visa and I-20 form, to demonstrate his legal status and ability to travel. Despite efforts by the Ghana Athletics Federation and the Local Organising Committee in Gaborone to intervene, the airline maintained its stance.
“Even after that discussion, the airline still refused to let me travel and insisted that I needed a visa before they could check me in.”
He summarized the situation as a combination of narrowly missing his first flight and being denied boarding for the second due to the visa dispute.
“The situation is, I missed the check-in by a few minutes for the first ticket. For the second ticket, I was denied boarding due to visa requirements. Ghana Athletics and LOC intervened, but the airline still refused. That’s exactly what happened from my side,” he said.
This is the flight Fuseini missed!
Even I would have missed it on purpose.
A flight that has him leaving on 28th arriving on 30th. Is he traveling to mars?
Dallas – Doha flight duration: 15 hours 10mins
Doha to Joburg flight duration: 8 hours 25 mins
Joburg to… pic.twitter.com/Ik3XZWd2s7
— Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo (@Fentuo_) May 4, 2026
Meanwhile, members of the relay team, including Abdul Rasheed Saminu and Benjamin Azamati, have criticized the sports ministry over what they describe as poor travel arrangements ahead of the competition.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com