An official for the Czechoslovak embassy in...
An official for the Czechoslovak embassy in Washington said he had asked his government if tennis star Martina Navratilova, who has not been back to Czechoslovakia since she defected in 1975, could return next summer to play for the United States in the Federation Cup.
George Savka, chief of the embassy’s passport and visa office, said he sent a cable to Prague Wednesday.
“It will take from 10 to 14 days before I get an answer,” he said.
Savka was quoted in Thursday’s editions of USA Today as saying there would be “no way” for Navratilova to obtain the visa.” But, he clarified that statement, saying there was “no way she would get the visa on the spot.”
“An original United States citizen can get clearance in a matter of minutes,” Savka said, “But in her (Navratilova’s) case, we must wait for an answer from Prague.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
