Table tennis-World Cup winner Calderano to miss Las Vegas event over visa issues
BERLIN - Brazilian Hugo Calderano, who won the gold medal in the 2025 table tennis World Cup, said he will miss the WTT U.S. smash event in Las Vegas this month following delays in getting a visa to the United States.
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. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Welsh misery continues as they lose first test in Japan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Japan stormed back in the second half to beat Wales 24-19 on Kyushu Island on Saturday in the first of a two-test series, extending the visitors' record losing streak to 18 matches. Japan were 19-7 down at the break, but two second-half tries saw them come back to overhaul the deficit. There were three tries for both teams in the clash in hot and humid conditions in an error-strewn clash at the Mikuni World Stadium, where Wales were hoping to end 18 months of misery, having last won a match at the 2023 Rugby World Cup against Georgia in Nantes, France. They looked to be well on course at the break but fell apart in the second half as Japan rallied for the narrow victory. Japan's fullback Takuro Matsunaga scored in the first half, while his replacement Ichigo Nakakusu and fellow substitute Halatoa Vailea went over for two more tries. All were converted by Lee Seungsin, who also kicked over a penalty. The tourists' points came in the first half, with Ben Thomas and Tom Rogers going over, and Wales also awarded a penalty try. Sam Costelow kicked over a single conversion. Welsh rugby is seeking to rebuild after plunging to a new low in a 68-14 defeat to England in their final Six Nations game in March, but the loss in Japan is a further blow as they will now drop to 14th in the world rankings. Thomas gave them an early lead, finishing off a break from the lineout by Taulupe Faletau to go over in the fourth minute. Japan levelled matters with a score from their first attack in the 16th minute with some slick handling in the backline, but Wales were 19-7 ahead at the break after the penalty try and Rogers' score in the corner. Nakakusu reduced the deficit with a 59th-minute try as Japan took control in the second half against a weary and nervy-looking Wales side, with Lee's penalty five minutes later making it a two-point game with 15 minutes to go. Halatoa Vailea then finished off a line-out maul to see Japan go ahead in the 71st minute and claim the victory. The two teams meet again next Saturday in the second test at Misaki Park in Kobe. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Canada's Penny Oleksiak withdraws from worlds over whereabouts issue
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Canada's Penny Oleksiak will not be competing at the upcoming World Championships in Singapore. TORONTO – Penny Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated female Olympian, has pulled out of the upcoming swimming World Championships in Singapore because of a probe into an alleged breach of the anti-doping code under the whereabouts rule. Elite athletes are obliged to keep doping authorities informed of their whereabouts at all times so random testing can take place. Former Olympic 100 metres freestyle champion Oleksiak announced her withdrawal from the world championships on social media on July 4, stressing that the issue did not involve any banned substances. "I wanted to confirm I am involved in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics that's still in the preliminary stages," she wrote in a statement. "I want to emphasise that this whereabouts case does not involve any banned substance; it's about whether I updated my information correctly. "Out of respect for Swimming Canada, my fellow racers and clean sport, I have decided not to compete at the world championships. I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time." There was no immediate response to a request for comment from World Aquatics. Swimming Canada also released a statement supporting Oleksiak's move, saying they believed she was a clean athlete who had made an "administrative mistake". "We understand that Penny has been notified that she did not keep her whereabouts information fully up-to-date," said Swimming Canada chief executive Suzanne Paulins. "She has explained to us that it was inadvertent and that in no way is she involved in the use of banned substances. "This is a team-first decision, as while she has not been sanctioned at this time, participating at world championships could potentially affect team results if an anti-doping rule violation is determined." As well as taking the blue riband sprint gold at Rio as a 16-year-old in 2016, Oleksiak has won six other Olympic medals and nine at three World Championships. The 2025 championships take place in Singapore from July 27 to Aug 3. In other swimming news, the River Seine reopened to swimmers on July 5 in Paris, allowing people to take a dip in the French capital's iconic waterway for the first time since 1923. Parisians and visitors looking to cool off this summer can dive in – weather permitting – at three bathing sites, including one a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower. The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is seen as a key legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, when open water swimmers and triathletes competed in its waters which were specially cleaned for the event. REUTERS, AFP
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Liverpool teammates gather in Portugal for Jota funeral
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A note is placed on flowers left near the Chapel of the Resurrection, the location of the wake for Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash near Zamora, Spain, in Gondomar, Portugal, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes GONDOMAR, Portugal - - Liverpool players were gathering in the small Portuguese town of Gondomar on Saturday for the funeral of their English Premier League soccer teammate Diogo Jota, who died with his younger brother in a car crash in Spain on Thursday. Club captain Virgil Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and manager Arne Slot were among teammates past and present who arrived in Portugal late on Friday to pay their respects to the striker and his brother, Andre Silva. They are expected to join the grieving family and hundreds of residents of Gondomar, a small town in northern Portugal where Jota grew up, for the funeral at the Igreja Matriz church. Rute Cardoso, who married Jota just weeks ago, is expected to be accompanied by the couple's three young children. Jota's death at the age of 28 sent shock waves through the world of football and beyond, with messages of condolences pouring in from national leaders as well as across the sport. The brothers were believed to have been driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to Britain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. REUTERS
