Table-table Hugo Calderano, the first world champion born in the Americas, was barred to enter the United States to play the WTT Grand Smash Tournament. The reason that US immigration did not approve his access to the country was a trip he made to Cuba in 2023 to participate in the Pan American Championship and the Paris Olympic Games qualifiers.
This impediment, which may seem absurd, is the result of hardening measures of the US immigration and entry system started by Joe Biden and deepened in Trump’s administration. On the grounds of combating terrorism and infiltration of “enemies of state” in the United States, thousands of people from countries not aligned with the West, such as Iran or North Korea, need a special visa.
The Brazilian, who has Portuguese citizenship, planned to enter the US through this (electronic travel authorization system), available to citizens of the European Union, who do not need a visa. Now any affiliation or mere passage in Cuba makes an ineligible person to use this system. Calderano discovered this through American authorities in their landing in the country.
In a statement on his website, he said: “I followed the same protocol of all the previous trips I made to the United States using my Portuguese passport. When informed about the situation, I mobilized my entire team to get a regular emergency visa, but unfortunately there was no time.”
“It’s frustrating to be out of one of the most important competitions of the season because of my control, especially from such positive results,” he added.