BBC News Online: World: Americas

Bahamas denies political asylum to Cuban baseball players

Immigration officers in the Bahamas have said that four Cuban baseball players and a coach, who fled the island on a boat, are not political refugees and could be repatriated to Cuba.

However, they said that the athletes would be allowed to go to a third country if they received an offer of asylum.

The deputy immigration director, Vernon Burrows, said that Costa Rica, which had indicated that it would welcome the players, has made no formal offer of visas so far.

The players arrived in Bahamas last month.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service