UK refuses visa to 11-year-old Iranian table tennis star for ITTF Hopes event
A visa denial by the United Kingdom has prevented Yasin Shoari, an 11-year-old Iranian table tennis prodigy, from participating in the ITTF Hopes Programme scheduled in Sheffield, England.
The ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge opened today and will run for three days. Shoari was one of only three Asian players invited to the event.
Originally, he was to travel to the UK on Wednesday, accompanied by his coach, Mohsen Shishehgarha, but their journey was canceled after the UK government failed to grant a visa.
Shoari had earned his spot by winning the Hopes competition in Asia in Laos two months earlier, where he won nine consecutive matches. In the semi-final, he defeated a Malaysian opponent, then overcame a Japanese competitor in the final to claim the title.
The refusal echoes earlier instances of the UK denying entry to Iranian athletes. In 2022, the UK declined visas for members of the Iranian Taekwondo team intended to compete at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix III in Manchester.
The ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge is the culminating stage of the ITTF Hopes Programme for under-12 players, bringing together the top youth talents who have progressed through national and continental selection.
Participants in the 2025 edition of the event include 20 boys and 20 girls (born in 2013 or later) from around the world who will engage in intensive training, coaching workshops, and the final “Challenge” competition across the last two days.
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