2024-01-12 05:00:00
The participation of a Ukrainian team in the 64e edition of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament is not yet acquired. About a month before stepping on the ice at the Videotron Center for their first game, some players still have not seen their visa applications approved.
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“I’m not in panic mode yet, but close. I have contacted Immigration Canada every day since the beginning of the week, but I still have no answer,” says Sean Bérubé who is in charge of the team’s arrival at the tournament.
Supposed to take the plane towards Quebec on February 2, two members of the team, including Myra, a young Ukrainian player, have still not seen their visa application accepted.
Young Myra is the only girl who should normally be part of the Ukrainian team at the next Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament | Photo provided by Sean Bérubé
The remaining 18 players have been waiting for a physical visa to be affixed to their passport for almost two weeks now, which is starting to greatly worry Sean Bérubé.
“At present, I have already paid more than $30,000 for plane tickets and I have spent almost 3 hours [à] fill out each visa application so I can’t sit idly by,” he says.
For his part, the general director of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, Patrick Dom, is not at all worried. On the contrary, he is confident that the Ukrainian team will arrive in time for their first match.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
More difficult this year
Bérubé also explains that the process is much more complex this year since the players can no longer benefit from the emergency travel program for Ukrainian refugees which facilitated the arrival of a team last year.
He therefore had to deal with each request one by one in addition to seeking the help of a translator in order to translate all the players’ official documents.
“It gives me pleasure to do it and I’m not asking for preferential treatment, but it should open up at some point. Coming to the tournament is what motivates them with everything that is happening currently, but they are also starting to be extremely worried and with good reason,” adds the instigator of the project.
Some Ukrainian players who should be present at the next Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament | Photo provided by Sean Bérubé
End of loans
Despite this, the team is no less ready since Sean Bérubé has already organized training camps for them in Romania twice.
The players should also gather a third time on January 24 for a final camp before the tournament. Bérubé also hopes to have good news for them by then.
“We are crossing our fingers and we hope to be able to distribute their passport to them with their visa at that time and then take the plane on February 2 and that they can live this exceptional experience too,” he said. -he concluded.
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