A 15-YEAR-OLD fencer from Perth feared he might miss out on representing Scotland at quadrennial international championships due to passport issues.
Oisín Lindsay-Dorward was over the moon when he was selected to represent Scotland at the Fencing Commonwealth Championships currently taking place in London.
But his excitement turned to dread when he heard of passport delays and worried he might not receive his British passport in time to compete.
Oisín – who has spent the past year travelling all over the UK competing and climbing the rankings – thought he might miss out on the opportunity to represent his home nation at the event. Like the Commonwealth Games, it only happens once every four years.
Oisín has been fencing since he was just 10 or 11 following in – now 19-year-old – sister Aoibheann’s footsteps.
At that time the family lived in Carnoustie and made the 70-mile round trip to do sabre fencing at Salle Ossian Fencing Club in Perth four times a week.
Eventually the family’s love of fencing saw them flit to Perth. They moved just six months before lockdown and now Oisín’s younger sister 11-year-old Orlaith fences too.
Over the past year Oisín has been juggling his studies with fencing.
So the fifth year St John’s pupil was delighted when all his hard work paid off and he was selected to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in London.
In order to compete he needed a licence from FIE (Fédération Internationale d’Escrime). In order to obtain the licence the fencing governing body stipulate competitors need a valid passport for the country they are representing.
Oisín was born and raised in Scotland but held an Irish/EU passport. On May 17 he applied for a British passport. This required submitting his Irish passport – leaving him temporarily without a passport.
Oisín was due to travel on July 31 for an advanced training programme in Italy.
Mum Samantha told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It was a race against the clock. Every article we saw about passports was talking about the long delays. It was a nervous few weeks.”
Concerned Oisín’s passport might too end up being delayed, Samantha contacted local MP Pete Wishart on June 28 to see if his office could help.
The SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire (below) raised the matter with the Home Office and a relieved Oisín received both passports on July 11.
Oisín said: “I’ve been working towards getting selected for the Scotland Commonwealth Fencing Team for the last year, so I was over the moon when I made the team, and although I’d represented Scotland before when I was 12 I hadn’t needed an FIE licence then.
“I was really panicking when there was no sign of my passport which I needed to apply for my FIE licence.
“I’m just so happy that Mr Wishart was able to help me because without my FIE licence I couldn’t compete, and it’ll be another four years before the Commonwealth Fencing Championships come around again!”
The championships got under way at the weekend. Oisín is representing Scotland as both a cadet and a junior. He is one of 21 kids from Perth’s Salle Ossian Fencing Club representing Scotland at the Fencing Commonwealth Championships.
Wishart said: “Having heard about the current crisis at the Passport Office, Oisín’s parents contacted my office after becoming increasingly concerned that he would miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Thankfully, we managed to get it to him in time, and it was great to meet him and wish him luck as he prepares to compete.
“My office has been assisting with an influx of passport cases lately, with some people waiting up to four months for theirs to arrive. Oisín’s is an example of how this is not just jeopardising people’s holiday plans, but major events too.
“I have raised this with UK Government ministers and called for the backlog to be tackled as a matter of urgency. There are early signs that the situation is improving, but the needless distress this has caused countless people over the past several months is nonetheless unacceptable.”
The Home Office has reported “unprecedented demand following more than five million people delaying their application for a passport during the pandemic because of restrictions in international travel”.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office anticipates up to 9.5 million British passport applications will be made in 2022.
A spokesperson for the UK Home Office pointed out there was no delay in Oisín’s passport being issued. The UK Government website advises to allow up to 10 weeks to receive a passport.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: “He did receive it two weeks prior to the 10 weeks processing time advertised.”
