Kids with cerebral palsy await UK visa for tournament

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five girls with cerebral palsy are anxiously awaiting their UK visas, uncertain if they would be able to fulfil their dream of participating in an international football championship. Trained by the Cerebral Palsy Sports Federation of India, the five girls were chosen to represent the country in the intercontinental football tournament for children with cerebral palsy, organised by the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football. The delay in getting visas has pushed them into uncertainty, as the tournament is set to begin on August 16 at Loughborough. Tickets from Thiruvananthapuram to London have already been booked. However, they will not be able to attend the championship if we do not get the visas by Friday, the last working day left before the tourney begins. Such opportunities are rare and the girls would be really disappointed if they couldnt make it, said their coach R Girija Kumari. The girls had submitted their visa applications at the UK Visa Application Centre in Kochi. The selected girls are Riya Koshy from Alappuzha, Arya S Nayan from Thiruvananthapuram, and Niya Fathima, Avanthika Vinod, and Vrajasurya from Kozhikode.