A colourful Spandex-clad street performer from Central Alberta says he has been denied a visa to travel to the Winter Olympics in Russia.
Spandy Andy’s Sexy Beach Party in my Sparkly Speedo video has more than five million hits on YouTube.
And a four-minute clip, Happiest Street Performer in the World Shown Up by Little Guy, has racked up more than a million YouTube views. It shows the colourfully clad Andy dancing with abandon along with a fleet-footed toddler at a Scottish fringe festival.
He says he was refused entry to Russia when he asked for a visa at that country’s embassy in Australia.
The Red Deer man says his U.S. girlfriend went with him and was also turned down.
Andy says he was never given an official reason, but staff seemed quite concerned that he didn’t have a ticket to the Games and that he wasn’t an Australian resident.
He says he just wanted to perform in Sochi and is disappointed he won’t get the chance.
His YouTube videos feature him in colourful Spandex and dancing on the street to music blaring from a pink boom box.
He’s gone so far as to officially change his name to Spandy Andy. The former Andy Rimer grew up in Red Deer but lives in Vancouver when he isn’t travelling the globe.
Andy says he felt awkward as he was given the third-degree by officials.
“Now I can’t go fulfil the dream I had of performing there,” said Andy.