Table tennis-World Cup winner Calderano to miss Las Vegas event over visa issues
Calderano, a 2025 world championships silver medallist who also holds a Portuguese passport, said he had been informed by U.S. authorities that he was no longer eligible for visa waiver for European Union countries, due to a trip to Cuba in 2023 to compete in international competitions and qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 29-year-old said he then tried to get an emergency visa but ran out of time with the event already under way on Thursday.
"I followed the same protocol as all my previous trips to the United States using my Portuguese passport," Calderano said in a statement on his website late on Thursday.
"When I was informed of the situation, I mobilized my entire team to obtain an emergency visa, but unfortunately, there was not enough time."
"It is frustrating to be left out of one of the most important competitions of the season for reasons beyond my control, especially coming off such positive results," he added.
The U.S. Smash event is one of the highlights of the year for the WTT, a body created by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), to stage commercial competitions to broaden the appeal of the sport, with higher prize money.
The United States will also play host to the 2026 soccer World Cup while Los Angeles will stage the 2028 summer Olympics with athletes from more than 200 countries set to take part.
Reuters has contacted the U.S. State Department for a comment. The ITTF could not immediately be reached for a comment.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann)
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