[PumperZero]

What really happened about Brazil not going to WPF

Probably there are people thinking that's our fault, and there are even rumors saying that we missed the flight. But actually, what happened was a very harder problem - the visas.

As everybody must have noticed, not only Brazil, but other countries couldn't go to the WPF, like Equador, Peru, Bolivia, and all the other countries that haven't free acess to Mexico. Yes, only Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile, USA and Korea managed to send their representants with no problems. Not to mention Mexico. The other countries depended on the permissions that AM should have required to the Mexican INM (Instituto Nacional de Migracion). This request was made only at 12/5, and it didn't reach most of the countries (excepting Colombia, who got it at the last hour, and Taiwan, where the ambassator himself, according to some rumors, got the visa for Amy), which couldn't send representants.

So, how can people say that's our fault? How can people say that competitors from eight countries missed the plane, or ridiculous things like that? That's throwing away all our effort, because we are sure that just as we didn't give up here, the other countries tried until the end aswell.

So, to make it clear: The problem was the long time AM took to ask the "permisos". Not everyone had conditions to require a tourist visa (as two of our female representants did), or double nationality (like RKW). Plus, it was RESPONSIBILITY OF ANDAMIRO AND OF THE WPF'S ORGANIZATION to require this permission for us, since we were INVITED to compete at Mexico.

So, because of all that lack of organization AND information failures, we lost this WPF. We and many other participants.

We are very sad, and it makes us even sadder, to know that such things have been said about us.

Hope we could have clarified it.

Thanks for the attention.

-Text by: Nauê, one of the brazilian speeders that won't go to WPF 2007 anymore
-Translation to english by: KurenaiSchwarz