Passport holders of 12 nations are now prohibited from entering the United States. These are: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – are faced with important but not complete restrictions on travel.
Section four of the travel ban includes a clear exemption for sports stars traveling to these competitions – and other “major” sporting events.
He indicates that “any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, people playing a necessary support role and immediate parents, traveling for the World Cup, the Olympic Games or any other major sporting event, as determined by the Secretary of State” can always go to the United States.
“Two hundred and six countries are preparing to come to the Games,” said Nicole Hoevertsz, vice-president of the IOC who chairs the La28 coordination committee.
“The federal government has given us this guarantee … to ensure that these participants will be able to enter the country … We are very convinced that it will be accomplished.”
In addition to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, the United States will also co-organize the FIFA World Cup in 2026, alongside Canada and Mexico.
