ISTANBUL 

Mali on Monday “strongly” condemned the Czech Republic's refusal to grant entry visas to its team for the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement said it lodged a “strong” protest with Prague through a verbal note over the visa denial.

The basketball team was due to compete in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in the southern city of Brno from July 12-20.

FIBA said it had been informed that the Malian delegation was unable to travel to Brno due to visa problems.

Mali’s matches against Australia, France, and Brazil were canceled, leaving Nigeria as the only remaining African team in the tournament.

The ministry said this “deeply regrettable” incident prevented the Malian team from participating in the major international tournament, where they were “meant to represent not only our country but the entire African continent.”

Calling the visa denial an “unfriendly act” and a “breach of the obligations” by countries hosting international events, the ministry said it urged Czech authorities to provide all relevant information about the “unfortunate” incident.