Road to Los Angeles 2028, visa campaign for Cuban athletes
Washington, Nov. 11 (Prensa Latina) The Hands Off Cuba Committee, based in Los Angeles, launched a campaign urging the United States government to grant visas for Cuban athletes to participate in the 2028 Olympic Games.
The campaign, titled “Let Cuban Athletes Compete in the 2028 Olympic Games,” warns that the current policy of the Donald Trump administration is to prevent Cuban teams and athletes from participating in the qualifying events for the multi-sport event that will take place here in just under three years.
According to the text, “this excludes Cuba from the Olympic Games. It is part of their campaign to prevent Cuban citizens from traveling to the United States,” the text of an open letter stated.
He pointed out that this contradicts decades of previous practices by Washington and the rules agreed upon by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is “strongly opposed to the denial of visas to athletes on the grounds of discrimination, including nationality.”
The IOC considers these actions a violation of the Olympic Charter, which promotes the right of all eligible athletes to compete without political interference.
He recalled that Cuba’s national women’s volleyball team was denied the right to travel to the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico and that the United States denied visas to the coaches of the Cuban youth softball team due to the immigration restrictions imposed by Trump.
The Cuban men’s basketball team was banned from competing in a FIBA AmeriCup qualifier, also in Puerto Rico, while several Olympic officials from the island were denied visas to attend meetings both in that country and in the city of Miami.
“This contradicts the spirit of the Olympic Games: to bring athletes together to foster mutual respect and understanding between nations,” he emphasized.
The visa denial, he pointed out, not only violates the rights of Cuban athletes, but also the right of people living in the United States (regardless of their stance towards the Cuban government) to enjoy the talent they bring to the Games.
He said that guaranteeing the right of Cuban athletes to travel to the United States and Puerto Rico requires a campaign on their behalf, which is why they are demanding that the IOC and its members comply with their Charter and grant visas to each of the island’s athletes “to participate in the Games. So they can compete!”
The Hands Off Cuba Committee proposes sending messages to IOC members and seeking the support of personalities, celebrities, and sports figures for this campaign, among other actions.
“While the Hands Off Cuba Committee of Los Angeles initiated this campaign, it will be a broad international crusade open to everyone on every continent,” explained Mark Friedman, one of the coordinators of the solidarity group.
This truly international effort, Friedman argued, will open up new organizations for us to turn to in our fight for visas and will allow us to better understand the impact of the US embargo against Cuba.
To this end, we will promote communications on social media through Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, the activist said, insisting that the goal is to exert maximum influence on the IOC members “so that they pressure the US government to grant visas to Cuban athletes.”
The 2028 Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles from July 14 to 30, and it is the third time that the California city will host the summer event.
The opening and closing ceremonies are scheduled to take place at the iconic Memorial Coliseum, and the competition will include more than 35 sports, with new additions such as Flag Football, Cricket, Lacrosse and Squash, in addition to the return of Baseball and Softball to the Olympic program.