Cuban women's volleyball team blocked from competing in Puerto Rico due to US visa restrictions

The Cuban women's national volleyball team has been blocked from participating in a tournament in Puerto Rico after the United States denied visa requests of the team.

The team, comprising 12 players, coaches, and a referee, was scheduled to compete in the NORCECA Final Four tournament from July 16 to 21 in Manati, Puerto Rico.

However, the team is blocked from attending the competition, due to the new travel restrictions imposed by the United States in June. According to the restrictions, Cuban athletes may face a visa denial if they need to transit or pass through the airspace or territory of the United States to a third country to compete.

"There must be a legitimate reason to prevent us from competing. Denying us a visa is not a valid justification for that. I think there is absolutely no grounds to refuse the visa to a team that what they do is simply to engage in sport and have never done anything negative against anything or anyone," said Wilfredo Robinson, the Cuban team's coach.

The tournament awards ranking points toward qualification for the Volleyball Nations League and other international competitions.

Players expressed frustration over the visa decision, saying it undermined their years of preparation.

"We know that there is the possibility that we may not be able to participate in the competition because of the political relations we are having with the United States. But it is a bit shocking and a little frustrating, because we have been training for a long time for that tournament," said Whitney James, a national team player.

The Cuban women's national volleyball team is not the only one that has faced the U.S. visa denial.

Due to the refusal, the Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) President Roberto Leon Richards and the COC Secretary General Ruperto Herrera Tabio were unable to attend the Executive Committee meeting of Panam Sports, held in Miami from May 13 to 15, and the Olympic Solidarity Forum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Similarly, Cuban athletes were barred from participating in this year's World Masters Indoor Athletics Championships in the U.S. and the FIBA Americas Cup Qualifiers in Nicaragua because their U.S. visa applications were rejected.

The Cuban Volleyball Federation warned that the visa denial could jeopardize the team's Olympic prospects for Los Angeles 2028 and violates the Olympic Charter's principle of free participation.

"Just because we are Cubans, we are being condemned and not allowed to participate in these events. This not only affects Cuban sports, but also violates the rights granted to Cuba by the Olympic Charter to be able to participate freely and compete in any events held in any country. Especially since the next Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, the series of restrictions and obstructions may have an even greater impact on Cuban sports," said Osvaldo Idel Martinez Arias, president of the Cuban Volleyball Federation.

The incident has caused concern among the public, saying that the U.S. visa restrictions on Cuban athletes is an extension of the U.S. embargo, aiming to hinder Cuba's international engagement and further isolate the country.

Cuban women's volleyball team blocked from competing in Puerto Rico due to US visa restrictions

Cuban women's volleyball team blocked from competing in Puerto Rico due to US visa restrictions

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO