Tibet Women’s Soccer Team Unwelcome in US, Gets Into Canadian Tournament Instead

The Tibetan women's soccer team based in Dharamsala, which was earlier denied a visa to the United States to participate in a tournament in Dallas, is now traveling to Canada to play a tournament.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — While the ethos of sport proved to be alien to the US authorities, their Canadian counterparts were more than happy to assist the Tibetan sportswomen.

"Tibet Women's Soccer is ready to make a historic announcement. Our team will travel to Canada this summer to compete in the Vancouver International Soccer Festival. We have received visas and are ready to go," Cassie Childers, Executive Director and Coach of the Tibet Women’s Soccer, said on her Facebook page.

She also appealed to the fans to support the team.

Earlier, the team was denied visas by the US Embassy in New Delhi despite all but two of the sixteen players having Indian identity cards issued by the Indian government for Tibetan refugees.

The US government's stand on Tibet has not changed under the Donald Trump administration. The US recognizes Tibet as a part of China. Therefore, issuing visas to Tibetan soccer players living in exile in India is against policy.