Cuba – Olympic Sport and Dictatorship
Like Park Chung-hee (Asia / South Korea: 1962-79) and Idi Amin Dada (Africa / Uganda: 1971-79), Fidel Castro is a sports fanatic and enjoys watching all kinds of Olympic sports. Fidel Castro has visited the training grounds of the national team, the sports schools, the National School Games and has spent time with the student-athletes and Olympic players. Since 1990, the Cuban dictatorship has spent more than $ 80 million a year on Olympic sport. However, Cuba is not an Olympic paradise. The modern sports history of Cuba has been marked by sports defections.
Each dictatorship has its own style. Leonidas Rafael Trujillo had one: Dominican music. Francois Duvalier had one: Haitian culture. Kim Jong Il has one: cinematography. He likes movies like “Gone with the Wind”, a famous American movie. The North Korean dictator wrote an essay “On the Art of Cinema.”
Idi Amin Dada’s regime was known for torturing political prisoners, prohibiting dissent and freedom of expression. Under the dictatorship of Idi Amin Dada, some 350,000 people died. But he loves Olympic sports like Fidel Castro Ruz. During the 1970s he had become an open champion of the sport in the Third World. I recalled that the Uganda team won two gold, four silver and three bronze medals during the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1974. Overall, the Uganda team ranked 10th, before Wales, Trinidad Tobago, Tanzania and Jamaica.
Fidel Castro once said: “What has been Cuba’s role in the Olympic Games? What has it achieved? What has been the fruit of our efforts to promote healthy and clean sports? At the 1972 Olympic Games, we ended up in 14th out of 122 countries. In Montreal 1976 Olympics – Juantorena remembers it well, and so do we – we were 8th out of 88 participating countries. In 1980, in Moscow we were 4th out of 81 countries, in 1992, in Spain we were 5th out of 169 countries and in Atlanta in 1996 we finished 8th out of 197 countries. Could anyone deny these figures? ”But under one of the world’s oldest surviving dictatorships, sport has become a useful way for women and men to access freedom.
Certainly, Cuban sport is a story of frustration and miracles. The Cuban government reacted with disbelief when Roberto Urrutia, a weightlifter, unexpectedly announced his decision to seek asylum in the United States in 1980. At the age of 14, Urrutia made weightlifting a high priority and ten months later he set national records. Urrutia entered the 1975 Pan American Championship at the age of 18 and won gold medals for Cuba. In December, in Matanzas, he became the first Latin American weightlifter to set a world record. In 1976 he finally realized his dream of competing in the Olympics. Like Alberto Juantorena (athletics), Teófilo Stevenson (boxing) and Mireya Luis Hernández (volleyball), Roberto Urrutia Hernández, a former member of the Communist Youth Union, was a symbol of the Cuban Revolution. Roberto, born on December 12, 1956, in Havana, won 3 gold medals at the 1978 World Weightlifting Championships and ended the Soviet dominance of the year in international weightlifting. Certainly, he was chosen Hero of the Year by Prensa Latina. Before the Moscow Olympics, Roberto Urrutia defected to the United States via Mexico.
In recent years, we have seen a series of events: Taimaris Agüero, a player, came to seek freedom in Italy; Odelin Molina, a prominent footballer from Havana, sought political asylum in the United States; and Dulce Tellez, an athlete, arrived in San Juan de Puerto Rico.
Agüero, who at 1.77 years old was considered one of the best female athletes in the Americas, at age 16 became the youngest person to be a member of the Cuban National Team. During the 1993 World Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Agüero finished first in the competition for the best point guard. When Tanya Ortyz, an usher from 1987 to 1995, announced her intention to retire in late 1995, Agüero was considered a leading candidate for the position. Therefore, she was the key woman when Cuba finished first in the 1998 World Championship. In 2000 Agüero helped the Cuban team to victory in the Olympic Games. If she is not the best point guard of all time, she is without a doubt the most famous in the history of volleyball. Today Taimaris Agüero is one of the most remembered and loved athletes by Cubans. Behind baseball, volleyball is the most popular sport in Cuba.
Dulce Tellez was named best player at the 2006 Pan American Championship in Puerto Rico. Under his leadership Cuba won the bronze medal in volleyball at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He left Cuba in July 2006, three months before the World Championship in Tokyo. Before the 2006 World Championships, Cuba ranked third in the world. Now it ranks seventh. Meanwhile, Odelin Molina, born in August 1974, in Havana, was one of the best Cuban footballers and played the 1991 U-16 World Cup in Italy. In 1995 he defected to the United States, where he now lives.
SPORTS DEFECTIONS
1. Abvin Sánchez, Lazaro-Soccer … 1995 … United States
2. Agüero, Taimaris-Volleyball … 2001 …. Switzerland
3. Aldama, Yamilé-Track and Field … 2003 … United Kingdom
4. Arocha, Rene-Baseball … 1991 … United States
5. Arrojo, Rolando-Baseball … 1996 … United States
6. Barthelemy, Giorbis-Boxing … 1990 … United States
7. White, Enrico-Boxing … 1967 … Canada
8. Bordabehere, Roger-Cycling … 1994 … Venezuela
9. Borrell, Lazaro-Basketball … 1999 … Puerto Rico
10. Brito Ferrer, Michel-Gymnastics …. 2003 … United States
11. Brito, Javier-Volleyball … 2004 … Puerto Rico
12. Caballero, Angel Oscar-Basketball … 1999 … Puerto Rico
13. Cala, Yosleider-Volleyball … 2003 … Puerto Rico
14. Campoalegre, Ramón-Water Polo … 1998 … United States
15. Casamayor, Joel-Boxing …….. 1993 ….. United States
16. Castillo, Ulises-Boxing ………. 1993 ….. United States
17. Contreras, José Ariel-Baseball … 2002 … Nicaragua
18. Chappe, Taimi-Fencing … 2002 … Spain
19. De la Pena, Janerky-Gymnastics … 2003 … United States
20. Delgado, Alberto-Soccer … 2002 … United States
21. Dennis, Angel-Volleyball … 2001 … Belgium
22. Díaz, Juan Carlos-Baseball … 1996 … Dominican Republic
23. Dominguez, Iván-Cycling … 1998 … United States
24. Duquesne, Alfredo-Basketball … 1994 … Canada.
25. Garbey, Ramón-Boxing ………… 1993 ….. United States
26. García, Ives-Swimming … 2001 … Puerto Rico
27. García, Osvaldo Junior-Waterpolo … 1995 … United States
28. García Martínez, Aliet-Soccer … 2000 ….. United States
29. Gato, Ramón-Volleyball … 2001 … Belgium
30. Gilbert, Andres-Basketball …. 1993 … Puerto Rico
31. Gomez, Juan Carlos-Boxing …… 1995 … Germany
32. González, José-Cycling … 1994 … Venezuela
33. Gregory, Elvis-Fencing … 2002 … Portugal
34. Griñan, Fernando-Soccer ……. 1996 …. United States
35. Guillen, Alain-Water Polo … 1998 … United States
36. Guillen, Arnaldo-Water Polo … 1998 … United States
37. Hernández, Adrian-Baseball … 2000 … Dominican Republic
38. Hernandez, Alain-Soccer … 2000 … Costa Rica
39. Hernandez, Ihosvany-Volleyball … 2001 … Belgium
40. Hernandez, Jorge Luis-Volleyball … 2001 … Belgium
41. Hernandez, Livan-Baseball … 1995 … Mexico
42. Hernandez, Odalys-Softball …. 1993 … Puerto Rico
43. Hernández, Orlando-Baseball … 1997 … By boat
44. Herrera, Roberto Carlos-Basketball …. 1999 … Puerto Rico
45. Herrera, Ruperto-Basketball … 1994 … Canada
46. Hurtado, Diobelys-Boxing … 1995 … United States
47. Ibañez, Ciro-Weightlifting … 1986 …. United States
48. Juncosa, Abel-Shooting …. 1999 …. Canada
49. Lapera, Ulises-Field Hockey … 1999 … Canada
50. León Tamayo, Charles-Gymnastics … 2003 … United States
51. Marshall, Leonel-Volleyball … 2001 … Belgium
52. Martinez, Juan Carlos-Waterpolo … 1993 … United States
53. Martinez, Rey-Soccer … 2002 … United States
54. Matienzo, Richard-Basketball …. 1994 … Canada
55. Miranda, Arturo-Diving … 1995 … Canada
56. Montalvo, Niurka-Track and Field … 1997 … Greece
57. Muñoz, Daimara-Swimming … 1998 … Puerto Rico
58. Nuñez, Jesús-Cycling … 1998 … Venezuela
59. Nunez, Vladimir-Baseball … 1995 … Venezuela
60. Ortega, William-Baseball … 1996 … Mexico.
61. Pérez, Angel-Kayak … 1993 … United States
62. Pérez, José-Track and Field … 1997 … Puerto Rico
63. Piedra, Armando-Water Polo … 1995 … United States
64. Pino, Héctor-Basketball … 1999 … Puerto Rico
65. Ramírez, Rio-Diving … 1993 … Puerto Rico
66. Rodríguez, Heriberto-Cycling … 1998 … Venezuela
67. Rodríguez Osorio, Gunther-Swimming … 2003 … Puerto Rico
68. Romero Mayeta, Laseer-Volleyball … 2001 … Belgium
69. Rosales, Nubis-Swimming … 1998 … Puerto Rico
70. Salas, Maikel-Volleyball … 2004 … Puerto Rico
71. Sánchez, Alex-Baseball … 1994 … By boat
72. Sánchez, Alexis-Track and Field … 1998 …. Puerto Rico
73. Toca, Jorge Luis-Baseball … 1998 … By boat
74. Trevejo, Iván-Fencing … 2002 … Portugal
75. Urrutia, Roberto-Weightlifting …. 1980 …. Mexico
76. Valdés, Tatiana-Kayak … 1994 … United States
77. Vázquez, Juan-Basketball …. 1999 …. Canada
78. Wilson, Jesús-Wrestling … 1994 … United States
79. Zayas, Daniel-Weightlifting … 1987 … United States