In one of the cruelest acts yet, the current White House administration has DENIED travel visas to the Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo, Venezuela so that they can participate in the Little League International tournament.
The team was scheduled to participate in the Senior League World Series (for players 13 to 16) in Easley, South Carolina.
The team from Victoria, Mexico will take their place.
The statement issued by Little League International states: “Little League International has been notified that the Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series in Easley, South Carolina. While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Little League International Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance the second place team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League (Victoria, Mexico), to participate in the Senior League Baseball World Series and ensure the Latin America Region is represented in the tournament and that the players, coaches, and families from Mexico are able to have a memorable World Series experience.”
The denial is a direct result of the executive order signed earlier this year restricting travel from several nations around the world. It should be noted that the executive order also states there is an exemption for, “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”
The Senior League World Series is an annual event that includes U.S. teams and six international teams. Able to travel last year, a team from Maracaibo, Venezuela won the tournament last year.
The Venezuelan team denied entry is the same team who beat the Mexican team replacing them in the Latin American regional tournament for the right to play in the international tournament.
In a response to the visa denial, the
Cacique Mara Little League team president Kendry Gutiérrez issued a statement saying, “the players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don’t pose any threat; they’re 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup.”
This is NOT the first time a sports team has been denied entry; the women’s volleyball team from Cuba was denied a visa for entry into Puerto Rico (a U.S. territory).
Those denials for sports team entries raises some serious questions over the sporting events scheduled to take place in the United States over the next few years; mainly the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.