(ATR) The first athlete caught in the recent United States travel ban tells Around the Ringsathletes affected should "stay strong" until the policy changes.
Meisam Rafiei is an Icelandic-Iranian athlete competing in taekwondo. He was planning on competing at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada for Iceland and was all set to travel on Jan. 30. Rafiei has an Icelandic passport, but was denied entry into the U.S. because he has Iranian citizenship.
On Jan. 27 an executive order issued by the Trump administration barred travel and refugee admittance from seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen are barred from entering the U.S. for the next three months. The travel ban caused uncertainty for sports organizers in the U.S., as well as key stakeholders in the Olympic Movement.
Work behind the scenes commenced from the United States Olympic Committee, State Department, and the Los Angeles 2024 bid to ensure athletes could travel to the U.S. to compete. A "longstanding" State Department policy was enacted and any fallout in the Olympic Movement was, for now, quelled.
"[I would say] ‘stay strong and do not let anyone put you down,’" Rafiei said to ATR after landing in Las Vegas. "[The ban] will not be forever [so speak] about it so it will change as soon as possible."
After he was barred from traveling to Las Vegas, Rafiei said that both the State Department and President of USA Taekwondo worked with him to secure entry. Soon, Rafiei was booked on a flight to San Francisco from Reykjavík, before landing in Las Vegas early this morning. Rafiei will weigh in today and compete in the under-58 kilogram class.
"I was not angry, but I was very disappointed," Rafiei added. "Because I was told that I couldn’t come to the U.S. and compete for Iceland.
"[When I got here] a taekwondo director was waiting for me in registration, and everybody was asking about me. I got a very good treat."
Written by Aaron Bauer
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