The U.S. government is refusing to grant travel visas to more than 100 Cuban athletes to take part in qualifying events necessary to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
A campaign, Let Cuba Play! backed by a number of Cuba solidarity groups, political organizations, athletes and individuals is organizing to reverse this.
“Our primary focus will be to organize the broadest number of athletes from the sports world alongside concerned artists, unionists, religious, campus figures, prominent individuals and others, to remind members of the International Olympic Committee from various nations and organizations of their obligation to honor the organization’s own charter,” Let Cuba Play! says.
“‘Let them play’ is not a slogan; it is a fundamental call for justice,” Yasser Ibarra, from the Cuban Embassy in the U.S., said in a video Nov. 23. “We want our athletes to have access to qualifying competitions and, even if they secure their Olympic spots, we want to ensure they do not face new excuses or obstacles.”
The U.S. government has been putting barriers in the way of Cuban athletes competing in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including denying visas for Cuban baseball players to participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic in March.
Endorsers of the Let Cuba Play! efforts include the National Network on Cuba; Kevin Kucera, area director of District 190, International Association of Machinists in Los Angeles; Tamara Hansen, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba; Carlos Lazo, Puentes de Amor/Bridges of Love; Bob Schwartz, Global Health Partners; Ike Nahem, New York-New Jersey Cuba Sí Coalition; Medea Benjamin, Codepink; Socialist Workers Party; and a growing list of others.
You can volunteer to help plan outreach, public events and media coverage by signing up on www.letcubaplay.com.
The campaign is also circulating a petition to International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, and Gene Sykes, chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. It notes the IOC’s charter “rejects discrimination of any kind and protects every athlete’s right to compete free from political interference.”
Let Cuba Play! is supported by Cuba’s National Institute of Sport, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), created in 1961 after Cuba’s 1959 revolution. Since then, Cuba leads every nation in the Americas, with the exception of the U.S., in gold medals won at the Pan American Games and summer Olympics.