Basketball bucket list: Maritime fan meets hero
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CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
What the Trump travel ban means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games
FIFA President Gianni Infantino addresses the FIFA 75th Congress at the Conmebol Convention Center in Luque, Paraguay, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Calistro) GENEVA — U.S. President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term. Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the U.S. for the two biggest events in sports. Trump's latest travel ban on citizens from 12 countries added new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world. Here's a look at the potential effects of the travel ban on those events. What is the travel ban policy? When Sunday ticks over to Monday, citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the U.S. They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Trump said some countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. How does it affect the World Cup and Olympics? Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in one year's time. Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya have very outside shots. But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions 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.' About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban is still in place in its current form. What about fans? The travel ban doesn't mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup or Olympics. Even before the travel ban, fans of the Iran soccer team living in that country already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit. Still, national team supporters often profile differently to fans of club teams who go abroad for games in international competitions like the UEFA Champions League. For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are often from the diaspora, wealthier, and could have different passport options. A World Cup visitor is broadly higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning. Visitors to an Olympics are often even higher-end clients, though tourism for a Summer Games is significantly less than at a World Cup, with fewer still from most of the 19 countries now targeted. How is the U.S. working with FIFA, Olympic officials? FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly built close ties since 2018 to Trump — too close according to some. He has cited the need to ensure FIFA's smooth operations at a tournament that will earn a big majority of the soccer body's expected $13 billion revenue from 2023-26. Infantino sat next to Trump at the White House task force meeting on May 6 which prominently included Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. FIFA's top delegate on the task force is Infantino ally Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose two-year run as U.S. Soccer Federation president ended in controversy in 2020. Any visa and security issues FIFA faces — including at the 32-team Club World Cup that kicks off next week in Miami — can help LA Olympics organizers finesse their plans. 'I don't anticipate any, any problems from any countries to come and participate,' LA Games chairman Casey Wasserman told International Olympic Committee officials in March. He revealed then, at an IOC meeting in Greece, two discreet meetings with Trump and noted the State Department has a 'fully staffed desk' to help prepare for short-notice visa processing in the summer of 2028 — albeit with a focus on teams rather than fans. 'Irrespective of politics today,' Wasserman said in March, 'America will be open and accepting to all 209 countries for the Olympics.' FIFA and the IOC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about the new Trump travel ban. What have other host nations done? The 2018 World Cup host Russia let fans enter the country with a game ticket doubling as their visa. So did Qatar four years later. Both governments, however, also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the month-long soccer tournaments. Governments have refused entry to unwelcome visitors. For the 2012 London Olympics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — who is still its authoritarian leader today — was denied a visa despite also leading its national Olympic body. The IOC also suspended him from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. ___ Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press
CTV News
19 minutes ago
- CTV News
Most of Alberta under a ‘very high' to ‘extreme' fire danger risk with more hot, dry weather in the forecast
Very little precipitation in the forecast for Alberta. Jodi Hughes has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre. A strong ridge of high pressure will become the main weather-maker for Alberta and B.C. pushing temperatures close to 30 C in southern Alberta. There is very little precipitation in the forecast and relative humidly values will remain low, which is concerning for regions dealing with wildfires. Most of Alberta under a 'very high' to 'extreme' fire danger risk with more hot, dry weather in the forecast Air quality advisories have been issued for many provinces and territories as smoke from fires in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is spreading west to east across the country. Most of Alberta under a 'very high' to 'extreme' fire danger risk with more hot, dry weather in the forecast Air quality advisories (smoky gray) as of 7 a.m. June 5, 2025. The high-riding jet stream is keeping most of the particulate into the northern and central portions of the Prairies, including in Alberta. There will be persistent atmospheric stability in Alberta, meaning it should remain mostly sunny with only a light breeze for most of the next week. Most of Alberta under a 'very high' to 'extreme' fire danger risk with more hot, dry weather in the forecast Daytime highs in Calgary are forecast to sit between 21 C to 30 C with lows between 8 C to 13 C until next Wednesday. The normal range this time of year is 19 C for a high and 6 C for a daily low.
Globe and Mail
19 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Search group warns against fake fundraiser exploiting missing siblings in Nova Scotia
Halifax Search and Rescue is warning against fraudsters impersonating their group who claim they'll use donated cash to search for two missing children. Paul Service, director of the volunteer organization, says a GoFundMe campaign attempted to raise $100,000 to fund a drone to search for four-year-old Jack Sullivan and six-year-old Lilly Sullivan. A large-scale search was launched for the two children after they disappeared on May 2 in Lansdowne Station, N.S., and there have been two, smaller efforts since then involving volunteer searchers. Explainer: Two Nova Scotia children are missing. Here's a timeline of key events since the siblings vanished The non-profit group says it doesn't normally request donations through GoFundMe and doesn't base its campaigns on particular searches. Service says a representative from GoFundMe contacted him to say it was taking down the site and investigating after the campaign was reported on CBC. He says that it is disheartening for his group to have to cope with scams, as it may discourage the public from donating to his group's legitimate fundraising efforts.
