On Friday, December 19, Cuba denounced an "unprecedented" level of visa refusals by the United States to its athletes, referees, and sports officials.

Cuba denounced on Friday, December 19, an "unprecedented" level of visa refusals by the US embassy to athletes, referees, and sports officials from the island in 2025.

“We are talking about 68 visa applications without positive responses,” said Gisleydis Sosa, Director of International Relations at the Cuban Institute of Sports, in a statement to AFP. She emphasized that this “unprecedented” number of applications concerns athletes in table tennis, basketball, soccer, track and field, softball, and volleyball, as well as referees and officials from the Cuban Olympic Committee. “This creates a climate of uncertainty and insecurity that is hindering Cuba’s preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a journey that will include numerous preliminary events held in the United States,” she stated. The U.S. Embassy in Havana did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Trump increased pressure on Cuba

The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation (FCBS) expressed its concern in early December 2025 regarding the participation of Cubans in the VI World Classic, which will take place in March and three of whose four competition venues are in the United States.

We hope that the US authorities will guarantee the visas necessary to make our presence in the tournament a reality, without any issues unrelated to the competition or contrary to the principles of sport interfering in this process, FCBS said in a statement.

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has increased pressure on Cuba, which he has reinstated on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.