Politics

Trump's travel ban: Icelandic Taekwondo champion barred from competing in the US Open

By Staff

Meisam Rafiei An Icelandic citizen of Iranian descent, Meisam has been denied entry to the US where he was about to compete in the US Open in Las Vegas. Photo/Facebook.

An Icelandic citizen of Iranian descent, Meisam Rafiei, has been barred from participating in the US Open in Las Vegas on behalf of Iceland. Meisam had already boarded the plane from Keflavík to the United States when a member of the cabin crew informed him that he would not be allowed to fly to the US.

A former Nordic champion in Taekwondo

Meisam, who is 30 years old, was born in Iran, but became an Icelandic citizen in 2012. He holds an Icelandic passport. He has competed on Iceland's behalf in Taekwondo, becoming the Nordic champion in men's Taekwondo. He has also been the coach of the Icelandic men's team in Taekwondo. He has also been politically active, running for the Left Green Movement in the 2016 parliamentary elections.

Injustice which has sparked an outrage

The decision has caused an outrage on Icelandic social media. Meisam's Facebook post has been shared 1,100 times since last night. This is an impressive figure when we consider the fact that Iceland just has three hundred thousand inhabitants. Comparable figures for the US would mean that a million people had shared the post in less than 24 hours.

The story has also caught the attention the media, with all locla news outlets covering the story and its fallout. The Sports News Channel ESPN has also covered the story. ESPN quotes a spokesman for the US Taekwondo federation saying the federation is working with the U.S. Olympic Committee "and the relevant government authorities to try and resolve the situation in time for him to compete."

Read more: Icelandic political leaders condemn Trump‘s travel ban, government expresses grave concern

A number of prominent Icelanders and political leaders has commented on the case of Meisam. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the chairman of the Left Green Movement, wrote on Facebook that Meisam was the victim of grave injustice, "like all those who are being denied their right to travel thanks to Trump's decision. The Icelandic government must take immediate action. Issue a formal condemnation of Trump's executive order."