Latest news with #KendryGutiérrez
Politico
3 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Venezuelan Little League team denied entry into US amid Trump travel ban
The tournament, which starts Saturday, features 13- to 16-year-old baseball players from the U.S. and around the world competing in Easley, South Carolina. Little League International called the news 'extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes' in a statement to POLITICO. A White House spokesperson directed a request for comment to the State Department. Representatives for the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Little League International said the Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, who finished in second place in the Latin America qualifiers behind the Venezuelan team, will replace them. Kendry Gutiérrez, president of Cacique Mara Little League, said in an interview posted on the team's social media account that the team had traveled to Bogota, Colombia, two weeks in advance of the tournament to try and secure visas. 'This is a sad and regrettable situation,' he said in Spanish during the interview, filmed with the team's players seated behind him. 'They want to have the opportunity to go play.' Trump signed an executive order earlier this year banning all travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, including Venezuela. The order carved out an exception for athletes traveling to the U.S. for major sports competitions determined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department's processing of foreign athletes seeking entry into the U.S. will be under heightened scrutiny in the coming years, as the U.S. prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028. The Venezuelan Little League team isn't the first sports team to be denied entry into the country. The Cuban women's national volleyball team was unable to enter the country for a tournament in Puerto Rico earlier this month. Cuba is also on the list of countries with restricted travel to the U.S.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Venezuelan team denied entry into U.S. for Little League's senior tournament
One of Little League's international tournaments will be played without its planned field. The Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was denied visas into the United States and will be forced to miss the Senior League World Series for players between 13 and 16 years old, Little League confirmed in a statement to South Carolina's WSPA. A team from Victoria, Mexico, will reportedly take Venezuela's spot as the tournament's Latin American team in Easley, South Carolina. The full statement: 'Little League® International has been notified that 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 in Easley, South Carolina. While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Little League International Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance the second place team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League (Victoria, Mexico), to participate in the Senior League Baseball World Series and ensure the Latin America Region is represented in the tournament and that the players, coaches, and families from Mexico are able to have a memorable World Series experience.' The Senior League World Series is held each year in Easley, with six teams from the United States and six international teams. A different team from Maracaibo won the tournament last year. The Venezuelan team was reportedly deemed ineligible for visas due to a June executive order from President Donald Trump that limits entry into the U.S. from certain countries. Venezuela is one of the countries that currently faces a limited ban. The Venezuelan team, which was attempting to procure its visas in Bogota, Colombia, posted a statement on Instagram calling the decision a "mockery" via a machine translation. Team Venezuela beat the Mexican team it's being replaced by last month in the Latin American regional tournament. The president of the team had his own reaction, as translated by World Baseball: 'The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don't pose any threat; they're 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup,' said Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, the Maracaibo, Zulia-based league that sponsored the team. While the Senior League World Series is not a high-profile tournament, an international team being denied entry into the U.S. will be cause for concern for some, given how many international sporting events the country is set to host over the next three years, including the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028. Trump's executive order grants exceptions to '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.' However, that leaves room for uncertainty as to what constitutes a "major" sporting event and turns Secretary of State Marco Rubio into a significant athletic authority. Earlier this month, a Cuban women's volleyball team was denied visas into Puerto Rico under similar circumstances.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Venezuelan team denied entry into U.S. for Little League's senior tournament
One of Little League's international tournaments will be played without its planned field. The Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo, Venezuela was denied visas into the United States and will be forced to missed the Senior League World Series for players between 13 and 16 years old, Little League confirmed in a statement to South Carolina's WSPA. A team from Victoria, Mexico will reportedly take their place as the tournament's Latin American team in Easley, South Carolina. The full statement: 'Little League® International has been notified that 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 in Easley, South Carolina. While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Little League International Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance the second place team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League (Victoria, Mexico), to participate in the Senior League Baseball World Series and ensure the Latin America Region is represented in the tournament and that the players, coaches, and families from Mexico are able to have a memorable World Series experience.' The Senior League World Series is held each year in Easley with six teams from the United States and six American teams. A different team from Maracaibo won the tournament last year. The Venezuelan team was reportedly deemed ineligible for visas due to a June executive order from President Donald Trump which limits entry into the U.S. from certain countries. Venezuela is one of the countries that currently faces a limited ban. The Venezuelan team, which was attempting to procure its visas in Bogota, Colombia, posted its own statement on Instagram calling the decision a "mockery" via a machine translation. Team Venzuela beat the Mexican team it's being replaced by in the Latin American regional tournament last month. The president of the team had his own reaction, as translated by World Baseball: 'The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don't pose any threat; they're 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup,' said Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, the Maracaibo, Zulia-based league that sponsored the team. While the Senior League World Series is not a high-profile tournament, an international team being denied entry into the U.S. will be cause for concern for some given how many international sporting events the country is set to host over the next three years, headlined by the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028. Trump's executive order does specifically grant exceptions to '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.' However, that leaves room for uncertainty on what constitutes a "major" sporting event, turning Secretary of State Marco Rubio into a significant athletic authority. Earlier this month, a Cuban women's volleyball team was denied visas into Puerto Rico under similar circumstances.
