Venezuela’s Little League baseball team has faced a setback after being denied a visa to the United States, preventing them from competing in the Senior League World Series in South Carolina, officials reported.
Little League International made an announcement stating that following their trip to Colombia two weeks ago, the Cacique Mara team was unable to obtain the necessary visa for the tournament.
The team, based in Maracaibo, was eager to participate in Easley’s Senior League World Series after clinching the Latin American Little League Championship in Mexico on June 16th.
In a rather disappointing turn, Cacique Mara expressed their frustration directed towards Little League officials after the team’s visa issues led to the unfortunate news.
“It’s disheartening; we are stuck here in Bogota hoping our kids can fulfill their dreams of playing in the World Championships,” the team’s statement read. “What can we do about this injustice? What do we say to our children about the pain this brings?”
The reasons behind the team’s visa denial remain unclear.
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Venezuelan opposition leaders as tensions exist with the current regime led by Nicolas Maduro.
Little League International has decided that the Venezuelan team will be replaced by the Santa Maria de Aguyo Little League from Victoria, Mexico.
This month, the Trump administration implemented partial travel bans affecting seven countries, including Venezuela, citing national security concerns and planning a broader ban affecting twelve additional countries.
“We cannot allow individuals who wish to harm us to enter our nation. Keeping America safe is a priority,” President Trump mentioned in a statement.
Previously, Cuba, which is now on the travel restrictions list, had teams participating in the Little League World Series and maintained an independent region for international baseball.
It’s worth noting that no Cuban team has qualified for this year’s Senior World Series or Little League World Series.
The Senior League World Series is scheduled to take place from July 26th to August 2nd.
The U.S. State Department has not responded to inquiries regarding this situation.
