Junior Venezuelan baseball team denied entry into US to compete in World Series tournament
The Cacique Mara team, from Maracaibo in Venezuela, was scheduled to participate in the tournament after winning the Latin American championship in Mexico.
"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," Little League International said in a statement, adding that it was "extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes".
The Venezuelan team travelled to Colombia two weeks ago to apply for their visas at the US embassy in Bogotá.
The embassy did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
"It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogotá with the hope that our children can fulfil their dreams of participating in a world championship," the team said in a statement.
"What do we do with so much injustice, what do we do with the pain that was caused to our children?"
Venezuela is among a list of countries with restrictions for entering the US or its territories. President Donald Trump has banned travel to the US from 12 other countries, citing national security concerns.
Earlier in the month, the Cuban women's volleyball team was denied visas to participate in a tournament in Puerto Rico, while a high-profile Mexican boxer was arrested by ICE and deported.
"They told us that Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his state, of his country," said Kendrick Gutiérrez, the league's president in Venezuela.
"It hasn't been easy, the situation; we earned the right to represent Latin America in the World Championship."
The Senior League Baseball World Series, a tournament for players aged 13-16, is played each year in Easley, South Carolina. It begins Saturday night (AEST).
The tournament organisers replaced the Venezuelans with the Santa Maria de Aguayo team from Tamaulipas, Mexico, the team that was a runner-up in the Latin American championship.
"I think this is the first time this has happened, but it shouldn't end this way. They're going to replace us with another team because relations have been severed; it's not fair," Gutiérrez added.
"I don't understand why they put Mexico in at the last minute and left Venezuela out."
Concerns are rising about how the US will treat visiting countries for the 2025 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
AP
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