Mundial 2009: Consulate denies more visas to Worlds 2009

By Guilherme Cruz

Photo Marcelo Alonso

Last week, TATAME.com reported the difficulty of some athletes to get the visa to fight in Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, which happens in early June in California (remember here). After the drama of the athletes of the Kimura team, most fighters came to us report the difficulties to obtain the necessary documents to board toward to the U.S.

Paulo “Bananada”, known of the MMA fans, tried to get the visa to compete at the event, but, when he went to the American Consulate, received a "no" as an answer. "Even with all the documents that I would go only to fight for the World Championship of Jiu-Jitsu, letters from the sponsors, from the ONG where I’m a volunteer and even the invitation of the Brazilian Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu, I didn’t got it", he said, dissatisfied. Partner of Bananada in the TFT team, Vitor "Pepi" gets revolted with Consulate’s decision.

"When they saw the report of the TATAME, where other visas were denied, the responsible for the embassy said that the athletes who tried to get the visa didn’t carry the invitation or documents evidencing the dispute. What now? Paulo and his friend William Viana took all documents that showed their trip to the World Championship, and the Embassy continues denying visas to the fighters. As the report said before, you must be rich to go to the World Championship?", says the fighter.

And it wasn’t just the athletes from Brazil who have suffered with the visas. MMA fighter living in Portugal, Fábio Moraes "Tipinho" also had no luck in the American Embassy in Portugal. "I signed up to fight the World Cup of California and, despite having submitted my application along with other documents, including the paper of the Customs of the United Arab Emirates (I was in Abu Dhabi fighting at the beginning of this month) and have the stamp of that country in my passport, the American Embassy denied me the visa to go fight in the United States", said Tipinho, revolted, in an e-mail to the TATAME.

"I’m writing this email because I would like you to give notoriety to this report, because it’s an absurd what they’re doing with the Brazilian athletes in the world, barring the entry on the countries, disabling them to continue their professional lives as athletes. That way you can’t be athlete and try to grow in the world of Jiu-Jitsu and MMA... Something must be done", concluded Fábio Moraes. The eve of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, where most fighters are Brazilian, the question remains: until when the athletes will have problems to fight such an important competition of the sport?