UPDATED: IOC, Federations Calmed By Government, USOC Action

(ATR) A spokesperson from the IOC tells Around the Ringsit "welcomes" joint action from the United States Olympic Committee and the State Department to allow athletes to travel to the U.S. for international events in the wake of a travel ban.

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. The order was hastily drafted and chaos swiftly set in at airports around the globe, as officials scrambled to determine who was allowed to travel to the U.S. and who was not. Administration officials walked back part of the travel ban after two days but the changes only affected those with "green cards" allowing residency in the U.S.

"The IOC has been informed by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) about the pledge of cooperation it received from the US Government with regard to expedited access to the United States for athletes and officials in order to participate in international sports competitions," the spokesperson told ATR. "The IOC welcomes the initiative by USOC and trusts that international competitions in the United States continue to take place in line with the Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect."

USOC Chairman Larry Probst and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun issued a joint statement late yesterday addressing the issue. The statement said the USOC is working with the U.S. State Department "to ensure that athletes and officials from all countries will have expedited access to the United States" for competitions. The statement came in the wake of potential blowback for the Los Angeles 2024 bid for the Olympic Games.

A spokesperson for the State Department toldATRallowing for exceptions remains consistent with previous policy.

"Consistent with the U.S. government’s longstanding support for the U.S. Olympic Committee, such athletes will be eligible to apply for a visa and be considered for an exception in the national interest on a case by case basis," the spokesperson said.

A source close to the situation told ATRthat Los Angeles 2024 was proactive with assisting the U.S. government in its efforts. ATR also understands that the executive order is unlikely to be changed to accommodate the athletes but that its current form should allow for exceptions to be easily implemented.

The first athlete affected by the order was Icelandic-Iranian taekwondo competitor Meisam Rafiei, who was attempting to travel to the U.S. for a competition yesterday. Rafiei posted a picture on his Facebook page where he said he was "on my way to U.S. Open to compete for Iceland with my Icelandic passport and was denied because I was born in Iran."

Rafiei toldATR earlier todaythat he expects to be in the U.S. tomorrow for weigh-in at the U.S. Open competition, but the ordeal has been stressful for him. He says that he has been in contact with both the U.S. embassy in Iceland and the President of USA Taekwondo to resolve the situation. Still, Rafiei says he must still secure a last-minute airline ticket to arrive on time.

"My mind is not good but I never give up," Rafiei said. "I am trying to reach [the U.S.] and hopefully be okay at the weigh in. I have been trying to call WOW Air’s boss to give a ticket to me. I’m still waiting."

Patrick Sandusky, USOC spokesperson told ATRthat a flight has been secured for Rafiei and he is on his way to the United States to compete in the U.S. Open.

"Following coordination between the USOC, USA Taekwondo and U.S. government officials, Meisam Rafiei of the Icelandic national taekwondo team has been cleared to travel to the U.S. and participate in the upcoming U.S. Open in Las Vegas," Sandusky said in statement. "We’re pleased to have successfully resolved this situation and look forward to continued collaboration with the government to ensure that athletes from around the world are free to compete in the U.S."

As of this morning some championships organizersremained unclear how the new regulations would affect international events happening in the coming months in the U.S.

Multiple federations with international events in the United States toldATRquestions over athlete participation have been answered by a new United States Olympic Committee statement.

In the next four months the U.S. will host world championships in skiing, ice hockey, and synchronized skating. Later this year the U.S. will host BMX cycling, rowing, weightlifting, swimming, and Paralympic track-cycling world championships. World Cup events will also be hosted in archery, modern pentathlon, cycling, skiing, fencing, and others.

Modern Pentathlon will host a World Cup event on Feb. 23-25 in Los Angeles. International Union of Modern Pentathlon Secretary General Shiny Fang told ATR that the statement issued by the USOC made organizers "positive for the travel of our athletes."

The International Cycling Union will host two World Championship events and a World Cup stop in the U.S. in 2017. The UCI Track Cycling World Cup is set for Carson, California on Feb. 25-26 and the UCI Paralympic Track Cycling World Championships will take place in Los Angeles on Mar. 2-5, during the period of the travel ban. Also, the UCI BMX World Championships will be held in Rock Hill, South Carolina on July 25-30.

A UCI spokesperson told ATR that the federation believes the number of athletes impacted ahead of the event will be negligible. The federation appreciated the update from the USOC, believing authorities "will take the appropriate measures to grant fast and efficient access to foreign athletes taking part."

Organizers for events that take place after the temporary travel ban is set to expire are still doing due diligence with the State Department to prevent future surprises. This includes the 2017 Rowing World Championships that will be held in Sarasota, Florida from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work diligently with the State Department and other government officials to guide us through the process," Meredith Scerba, executive director of the championships, told ATR yesterday. "We are still looking forward to welcoming the world to Sarasota-Bradenton later this year."

A spokesperson for the championship told ATR today that nothing has changed in how the championships are preparing after the updated USOC statement. Sarasota’s organization is continuing as planned and organizers expect every qualified athlete to be at the championships.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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