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