A heartbreaking story now appears to have a happy ending.
Last weekend, Surrey, B.C.'s Whalley Little League, punched its ticket to the Little League World Series, however the big win was bittersweet.
One team member, 13-year-old Dio Gama, learned he would not be able to attend due to immigration issues stemming from his father’s trouble with the law 21 years ago.
“There is a 13-year-old boy who wants to follow his dream playing at the World Series,” Whalley Little League said in a statement.
“He is doing all the right things in life but is caught by his immigration status. We just want to find a way to let him play.
“There must be a way through immigration that we can get a boy to Williamsport with his team and back to rejoin his brothers (Team Canada). Team Canada and Little League await his return.”
It appears the team's "let the boy play" rallying cry has been answered by the Canadian government.
Canadian Press has reported that, Dio will receive a temporary resident permit, as a result of an intervention by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen on “humanitarian and compassionate grounds.”
The Little League World Series, which begins on Thursday, features 16 teams from nine countries, with games broadcast across Canada and the United States on TSN and ESPN.
Whalley, competing as Team Canada, play their first game on Friday against a team from Panama, representing Latin America at 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET.
With files from the Canadian Press.
