(Sports News) Kishore Jena successfully secured his visa for travel to Hungary, thereby opening the path for his participation in the World Athletics Championships set to take place in Budapest from August 19 to 27.
Verifying this progress, a source from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) affirmed that Jena’s visa was approved subsequent to his interview or appointment on Friday morning. He is anticipated to receive his travel documents at a later time on the same day.
It’s noteworthy that on Wednesday, Jena had faced a setback when his visa application was initially revoked by the Hungarian embassy in India.
Olympic gold medalist in javelin throw, Neeraj Chopra, expressed his solidarity with Kishore Jena, the fellow javelin thrower, whose visa issues were preventing his entry into Hungary for the World Championships. Neeraj Chopra took to social media platform X and appealed to Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar to intervene and “find a resolution” for the situation.
Kishore wrote, “I have just been informed about Kishore Jena’s visa challenges, which are hindering his participation in the World Championships in Hungary. I am hopeful that the concerned authorities can work towards resolving this issue, considering the significance of this moment in his career. Let’s make every possible effort.” He included tags for the Ministry of External Affairs and Jaishankar in his post.
Having secured the 36th spot in the Road to Budapest list, as updated by World Athletics (WA) after the qualification period concluded on July 30, Jena earned his qualification for the event.
Among the Indian javelin throwers, aged 27, Jena is one of the quartet who successfully made the cut for the World Championships. DP Manu and Rohit Yadav were also among the qualifiers; however, Yadav unfortunately withdrew from participation due to undergoing elbow surgery on his throwing arm.
Among the 28-member squad, Kishore and Manu are the sole Indian athletes who have yet to arrive in Budapest. Jena, who secured a silver medal in the National Inter-State event in June, is among those who are still en route to the destination.
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