VILNIUS, Lithuania _ Lithuania's president dashed U.S. basketball player Katie Douglas' hopes of playing for the Baltic country in the women's world championships next month.

President Valdas Adamkus rejected Douglas' application for Lithuanian citizenship Monday, saying such a move would violate the basketball-crazed nation's constitution.

Douglas, 27, plays for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA, and in the off-season for Lithuanian club TEO, where she is a star.

She turned down an invitation to play for the United States in the world championships in Brazil, saying she wanted to represent Lithuania, even though she has no family connection to the ex-Soviet republic.

A citizenship commission recommended Douglas be nationalized on merit for her contributions to Lithuanian basketball, but the president ruled against it.

"Personally, I would like to see this athlete representing our country in the world championships," Adamkus said, but added granting Douglas citizenship was not possible under Lithuanian law.

Merit-based citizenship applications are a highly sensitive issue in Lithuania. Adamkus' predecessor, Rolandas Paksas, was impeached after arranging citizenship for a Russian businessman that was one of his main financial backers.