Venezuela will be allowed to compete at the Little League World Series after all. The international baseball program Cacique Mara learned of its approval just six days prior to competition.
This decision required the intervention of a United States senator and the personal sign-off of Marco Rubio.
I am curious to see whether this has an impact on the players at the Little League World Series. How will the last 10+ days effect the play of 10-, 11-, 12- and 13-year-olds?
Venezuela was initially rejected by the United States.
The Trump administration published a list of seven nations subject to partial travel restrictions on June 4. Venezuela was one of those seven countries.
While it was not a full travel ban, the ruling created a number of challenges when it comes to entry into the U.S. Every single player and coach on the Cacique Mara Little League team was denied a visa.
They were not allowed to travel from Venezuela to America to compete at the World Series even though they traveled to Bogota, Columbia two weeks prior to the tournament to apply for their visas.
Maracaibo, home to Cacique Mara Little League, is located on the northwestern-most point of the capital state of Venezuela, Zulia. Bogota is about 627 miles south. The hope was to avoid the ongoing crackdown on immigration and foreign visitors by the Trump administration by traveling outside of their home country. That did not happen.
The team and the league itself were furious with the decision. They were not even as mad as they were disappointed, which we all know is actually way worse.
The Little League World Series is happy to have them.
At no point in time did the Little League World Series issue any kind of ban. If it was up to the most prominent governing body of youth baseball in the United States, Cacique Mara would’ve been in.
But the decision was (and is) up to the government and only the government.
Well, after approximately 10 days, the initial ruling was overturned. According to The Athletic, every single player and coach will be granted a visa so they can compete in Williamsport, Va.
Needless to say, it has been a whirlwind. Cacique Mara will represent Venezuela at the Little League World Series. They begin play on August 13.