(May 27) – After weeks of delays, on the afternoon of May 25, the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) was notified of the emission of visas requested at the U.S. embassy in Havana for our national baseball team to travel to the state of Florida, to compete in the continental pre-Olympic tournament of the Americas, intent upon qualifying for the Tokyo Games.
“Cuba is grateful to all the institutions and individuals who, with good will and active interventions, contributed to overcoming the multiple obstacles to guaranteeing the participation of our national baseball team in the pre-Olympic in Florida,” stated Party Political Bureau member and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
The FCB, for its part and in the name of millions of compatriots anxiously awaiting these games, also recognized the efforts of the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball, the Organizing Committee, the United States’ Olympic Committee and Baseball USA, for their support to “concretizing a right which is legitimately ours,” adding that the players will participate with “the dignity, team spirit and commitment to fair play which characterize the Cuban sports movement.”
The news was welcomed by players who have been waiting for this decision, which, as has been reiterated over the last few days, is imperative to realizing their aspiration to struggle for the dream of competing in
Cuba has scheduled training games with Nicaragua and subsequently the Dominican Republic, which are essential to fine-tuning details before the team’s first game of the tournament, with Venezuela as their rival.
Oscar Sánchez Serra, Granma
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