United States Will Ban Travel To North Korea Later This Summer
United States Will Ban Travel To North Korea Later This Summer
The US government will ban travel to North Korea starting in August of 2017, which would be a problem because the 2018 Junior World Championships are taking place in Pyongyang.
According to ABC News, the federal government will ban US citizens from traveling to North Korea starting some time in August.
The 2018 IWF Junior World Championships are currently scheduled to take place in Pyongyang, North Korea in June of 2018, and Team USA's absence would rob at least two potential World Champions, CJ Cummings and Harrison Maurus, from competing.
The travel ban could possibly have some exemptions, with waivers available for "certain limited humanitarian or other purposes," but with a troubling history of detaining US citizens and USAW's responsibility to protect their young athletes while traveling abroad, it's hard to see the solution to this ban.
The IWF has been known to reallocate competition host cities, with the 2017 World Championships as a recent example. It's possible that with new and greater US support, the IWF will see fit to change the host city of the 2018 Junior World Championships. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.
The 2018 IWF Junior World Championships are currently scheduled to take place in Pyongyang, North Korea in June of 2018, and Team USA's absence would rob at least two potential World Champions, CJ Cummings and Harrison Maurus, from competing.
The travel ban could possibly have some exemptions, with waivers available for "certain limited humanitarian or other purposes," but with a troubling history of detaining US citizens and USAW's responsibility to protect their young athletes while traveling abroad, it's hard to see the solution to this ban.
The IWF has been known to reallocate competition host cities, with the 2017 World Championships as a recent example. It's possible that with new and greater US support, the IWF will see fit to change the host city of the 2018 Junior World Championships. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.