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