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