108 Francophonie athletes defect

Photo by Rebecca Stevenson, The Ottawa Citizen
Joseph Nsengiyumua, 24, enters the sparse accommodations of The Mission as he awaits a response to his application for refugee status.

More than 100 athletes who participated in the Francophonie Games are now seeking refugee status in Canada, one of the largest-ever defections after an international sporting event.

Officials for the Department of Citizenship and Immigration confirmed that the number of Games refugee claimants had reached 106 as of yesterday morning. At least two new defectors on top of that checked into The Mission in Ottawa last night, bringing the number to at least 108.

"Our government said we were trying to incite the other players against them," said newcomer Abdouramane Boureima, a 27-year-old beach volleyball competitor from Niger. "We could get incarcerated if we go back."

The largest number of refugee claimants Canada has ever received after a sporting event was nine, mostly Cuban, during the 1999 Pan-American Games. Various baseball and other athletes have made individual refugee claims while in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. As many as 60 athletes and their family members remained in Sydney, Australia, after the September 2000 Olympic Games.

"Why there are more asking after these Games, your guess is as good as mine," said Immigration spokesman Richard Saint-Louis. "People who come here know Canada has a process that serves to protect people in danger."

Citing privacy and security reasons, Mr. Saint-Louis said he could not divulge which countries the claimants were from.

Eight claimants from the Central African Republic, one from the Congo, and one from Rwanda were staying at The Mission yesterday. Five Burundian athletes had sought refuge at the downtown Salvation Army as of last night.

Maj. Stan Folkins, director of the George Street Salvation Army, said staff have provided basic needs for the claimants and are helping set up meetings with immigration officials.

Maj. Folkins said many claimants are staying in private homes, as various families have been offering to shelter the athletes.

The embassy of Burkina Faso confirmed that 11 members of their delegation have not returned home since the Games.

"We haven't heard from them," said Evelyne Ilboudo, a counsellor for the embassy. "I suppose that when you are fleeing a country, you don't try to get in contact."

Dominique Forget, spokeswoman for the Immigration and Refugee Board, which will decide whether or not to grant the athletes refugee status, said 48 per cent of refugee claims were accepted last year, of the 28,904 claims the board dealt with.

She said the refugee-claim process generally takes about 10 months and the only grounds accepted are genuine persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinions, and membership in a particular social group.

Joseph Nsengiyumua, a 24-year-old marathon runner from Rwanda, said he fears for his life back home.

"There is no security," he said. "After competition, I saw a police officer and said I can't go back to Rwanda."

Mr. Boureima, from Niger, said he had never thought of living in Canada before. He was encouraged to seek refugee status by Canadians he had met at the Games. He said his new friends also explained the downsides to living in Canada.

"We come from a zone where it is 40 degrees Celsius," he said.

"Here, it's minus 40 in the winter, so it will be painful, but what can you do?"