They invented the first American sport. Their visas were rejected.

British Government Refuses Iroquois Admittance; Will Miss Tournament
Terry Foy July 14th, 2010

After four days of scrambling and hope, the Iroquois Nationals will not be traveling to Manchester to participate in the 2010 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships, the AP reported.

The report cited a British Consulate spokeswoman who said that the United Kingdom would only allow travel on passports they consider valid, and the Haudenosaunee-issued documents don’t meet that standard.

The news comes only hours after the U.S. State Department granted an exception to the team’s party, guaranteeing them admittance back into the country upon their return.

The decision came too late for the party to procure the proper clearance from Canadian and British officials in order to board their flight, but the hope was they’d be able to arrive in time for a rescheduled start to their tournament.  According to the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL), if the Iroquois do not arrive in time for Thursday’s 7:30 p.m., game against England, they would forfeit. (UPDATE: they never were able to arrive and thus had to miss the whole tournament).

The FIL said that England’s game with Iroquois has been changed to a scrimmage against Germany. Sources within the Iroquois delegation say they’re still fighting to get to England, and they may be trying to set up a scrimmage on Long Island Thursday night if they still can’t get out of New York.

It’s a disappointing next step in a highly publicized, nearly week-long process that’s received not only national media attention, but a large outcry from the Native American and international lacrosse communities, both of whom cited the hypocrisy of preventing the team from taking part in a world championship that honored the legacy of their ancestors and the game they invented.

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