Cuban Cycling Federation Protests US Visa Denia (Baseball:yes, Cycling:no) [View All]

[Mika]

Cuban Cycling Federation Protests US Visa Denia
http://www.periodico26.cu/english/sports/denial012006.htm
January 20 2006

The Cuban Cycling Federation is protesting another attempt by the US government to bar Cuban athletes from international competitions.

Yoanka Gonzalez Perez, Yumari Gonzalez Valdivieso and their trainer Leonel Alvarez Diaz should be in Los Angeles for the third phase of the Track Cycling World Cup on January 20-22, but Washington has denied them entry visas.

“We applied within the stipulated time at the US Interests Section in Havana, but we were not issued the visas,” said Jose Pelaez, president of the Cuban Cycling Federation.

“This act once again violates the obligation of all organizing committees of international sporting events to guarantee the entry to the host country of all invited athletes, trainers and sports officials,” said Pelaez, who recalled that this is a norm of the International Olympic Committee as well as the International Cycling Union.

Let's see if the International Olympic Committee makes the same stink about this as they did about the World Baseball Classic.