EUGENE: Some 10 athletes, including 2015 world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov, encountered issues with obtaining visas to compete in the Prefontaine Classic track meet.

The meet that started on Friday night is the only US stop for the international Diamond League series.

Organiser Tom Jordan said it was the first time in nearly a decade that athletes had problems securing visas for the meet. Visas were denied or delayed for athletes from various countries, including Russia and Ethiopia, Jordan said.

Asked for comment on the matter via email, the US Department of State replied: “Section 222 (f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) prohibits us from disclosing details from individual visa cases.”

Shubenkov’s visa was finally approved on Thursday, too late for him to travel to Eugene, according to the athlete’s Instagram post. No reason was given for the delay.

The Russian was supposed to be part of a start-studded for the 110-metre hurdles at the Prefontaine, which includes Rio Olympics gold medalist Omar McLeod of Jamaica and US star Devon Allen.

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina was in Eugene and competed on Friday night in the women’s long jump.

Jordan said meet officials would consult with US officials to avoid similar issues in the future.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2017