Struggling sportsman; Canada rejects Armwrestlers visa

STRUGGLING SPORTSMAN: Wanting to participate in the championship, Ravi also arranged finances.

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• I took calculated risks for higher growth: Pranab  

• Udayan's View: Budget 2009, a game of patience 

• A study in comparison: Education budget up Rs 7K cr 

• Face The Budget: Political response to Budget 09-10 

• The verdict: CNN-IBN panelists rate Pranab's Budget  

• Reform hopes dashed, market watchers feel let down  

• I-T exemption limit raised | FBT rolled back | Taxes and you 

• Pranab skips two paras of Budget speech, apologises 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• Watch: Dalal Street reacts to the Budget 

• Budget: Pranab's chance to create his own legacy 

• FM has done a fairly good job: Narayana Murthy 

• Budget to focus on social spend, growth 

• Education reform will be for all Indians: Sibal 

• The Budget That Isn't: Cyrus gears up for Budget 

• EVMs are tamper proof, says Election Commission 

• Watch: Railway exams disrupted in Mysore, Banglaore 

• Watch: Maneka writes to PM over threat to Varun's life 

• One-upmanship: Sonia, Pawar in foodgrain politics 

• Life saving drugs, LCDs cheaper; Set-top-box costlier 

• Buy that big car: SUVs, petrol trucks to cost less 

• Defence budget unchanged; Army gets lion's share 

• Minimum Rs 30 lakh needed to be called wealthy 

• TAX BREAKS, WELFARE SCHEMES IN COMMON MAN'S BUDGET 

• Common man gets a treat, over 15 schemes 

• Health budget up by Rs 4,000 cr, 6 new AIIMS in cities 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Full text: Union Budget 2009 

• Software industry gets tax benefits for one more yr 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

Kochi: Life has been a struggle for Snibu S Ravi the 27 year old may earn his living as a porter in Kochi but his heart lies in the sport of arm wrestling. Three time national champion Ravi has spent last six years training and working during the day and putting in hours of practice at night.

But his dream to participate in the World Championships to be held in Canada this month has been shattered.

“My six year dream has come to end. the Canadian embassy has rejected our visa application. The only hope is that the Indian govt will ask the Canadian govt to help us. We will go there only to participate in the tournament we are not going there for business,” says Snibu S Ravi.

Arm wrestling is not an Olympic sport so Ravi and his teammates had to fight the odds to gather enough sponsors to help them reach the target of rupees two lakh to catch the flight to Canada. But this effort has not impressed the Canadian government who doubt their intentions to participate in the tournament.

“Finally after five years winning the Indian national champions and when they get a chance to go abroad for the world championship. They couldn’t go initially because of finance and now the Canadian govt rejected the visa saying that these people do not have the funds and assests to take part in the competition and then return back to India,” says Training programmer, Jinu Tharakan George.

When contacted by cnn-ibn the Canadian high commission said that the matter is under consideration and they will have a response soon.