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International Games News from Cuba
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More drug and
classification issues at Athens Paralympics
September 24, 2004 Cuban Judoka Sergio Arturo Perez Hechevarria has tested positive for prednisolone, and will be disqualified and lose his gold medal. No other suspension or sanction will be handed out in this case, according to organizers. In addition, International Judo Federation rules specify that medals are not to be redistributed in doping cases such as this, in the sport of Judo. A classification tiff over the status of a young Australian wheelchair rugby player has been reported in the New Zealand Herald. 15 year old Ryley Batt was reclassified upon arrival in Athens. He now carries a rugby classification number of 3.5 the highest number, and designation of least disabled. In wheelchair rugby, four players are allowed on the court at one time, and the total of their classification numbers can not exceed 8. Ryley's mother told the Herald, "I am shocked. I don't know what they are doing over there." "He has been very unfairly reclassified. He is very upset about it, we all are." International Paralympic Committee officials will watch the matches that Ryley participates in, and may determine by his performance, to reclassify him once again, back to his original 2.5 classification. If he is not reclassified, the Australian Paralympic Committee has said they will file a protest. Australian rugby officials said that there had been a protest made by another team, to try and weaken Australia's chances, and pointed an accusing finger at New Zealand. "Ryley is our strongest player and he looks so good on the court. Obviously another team isn't keen on him playing." (if he is the strongest player, would a 3.5 not be warranted? Ed.) New Zealand officials said they didn't have any idea that Australia was talking about and had not lodged any protest. In another dispute over the classification of a paralympic athlete, Great Britain's Jenny Ridley has decided not to compete after she was reclassified from the T53 to T52 division. A protest by the British Paralympic association was put forward and heard on September 14 and 15, and was appealed after a decision was made to keep Ridley in the T53 class. The appeal was also denied. Ridley was a former wheelchair basketball player, hoping to participate in the 200 and 400 meter events. Ridley told the BBC and Scottish news sources, " I am entered into the T53 category races and I haven't made the decision whether I will compete," "But for me to go and compete against them, I will come last and it's something I don't want to do." Other athletes were just happy to participate. Afghanistan's 14 year-old Mareena Karim finished last in her heat of the 100 meters, but made history as the first female Afghani to participate in the Paralympic Games. "It's a golden chance. Just my participating is a victory," she told the media through a translator. An Iranian discus thrower also lost a gold medal over classification issues, earlier in the games. Jakarta to get some Olympic TVAugust 9, 2004 However, a local cable company, "Kabelvision" has decided to purchase a package and to offer at least some TV. The coverage will be limited only to cable subscribers in Jakarta. The ABU had given a final offer
of a daily highlight program for just US$75,000 to the national
stations, but the stations still did not bite on the offer. South Korean papers report that the normal procedure for North Korea is to pirate the broadcasts without paying. The Asian Broadcasting Union recently concluded negotiations with North Korea that gave them the rights for free. The Korean Broadcasting Company and the Inter-Korean cooperation fund will share the cost of the satellite, around $340,000 US. The South provided the same TV access for the North during last years World University Games from Daegu. North Korea will still most likely censor parts of the broadcasts that it may find objectionable. Cuba, will have plenty of Olympic action available on TV according to Cuba's Granma International newspaper. Cuban Television has the rights to transmit up to 24 hours a day, but will attempt to broadcast many events live in the early morning hours in Cuba. Cuba will show all the Olympic baseball games, and all of Cuba's baseball games live. In addition, Cuban radio will be broadcasting live, fifteen hours per day, with broadcasts starting at 1:30 a.m. Guatemala and Puerto Rico on short list for 2010 CACGApril 17, 2004 Guatemala City, Guatemala and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico are under consideration to host the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games by ODECABE, the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization. ODECABE is scheduled to meet in Havana on May 13 to choose the winner. ODECABE changed its executive committee meeting from Puerto Rico to Santo Domingo because some Cuban officials were having trouble getting US visas to get to Puerto Rico. Under discussion at the meeting will be Cuba's boycott of the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, and whether or not there should be sanctions. Second Cuban National Games to open SundayApril 16, 2004 The second edition of the Cuban National Games begins this weekend and are scheduled to run from April 18-30. The 41 sports in the games will be spread out across all fourteen Cuban provinces. Cuban sources are touting the games as a chance to show Cuba's capability to host a future Olympic Games. The first edition of the games was hastily scheduled in 2002 in conjunction with Cuba's boycott of the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador. Cuba does not have diplomatic relations with El Salvador, and expressed concerns about security. Those first Cuban National Games (or National Olympics as they are being advertised), were a mostly Cuban affair. This time around the Cubans have announced that about 200 of the 1100 competitors will come from 29 nations outside of Cuba. Many are sports students that are studying or training for sport in Cuba's sports schools. Cuba mentioned again as possible 2012 Olympic HopefulApril 18, 2003 Cuba has once again mentioned possibly entering the race for the 2012 Olympic Games with Havana as host. Cuba has talked of bidding off and on several times over the past two or three years, and over the past decades, so the news does not come as a surprise. Havana has been an official Olympic bid candidate one time, in 1920. Havana's highest profile games to date has been the 1991 Pan American Games, but Havana has also hosted the Central American and Caribbean Games, in 1982 and way back in 1930, the Central American and Caribbean University Games in 1986 and Latin American University Games in 1962. Several smaller competitions have also been held in Havana over the years, including the boxing events of the 1984 Friendship Games, the SCFA Summer Spartakiade of 1977, the 1999 Pan American Games for the Deaf and the 1949, 1951 and 1953 Havalanta Games, a short-lived games alternating between the youth of Atlanta and Havana. Most recently Havana was said to have hosted and "International Corporate Games" in October of 2002, but very little information has been available on the conduct of those games. While portions of other events have been held in other parts of Cuba, Havana has been the only city know to date to host an international games in Cuba. Cuban sports authorities say any planned Olympic bid would focus on Cuba's sporting achievements and not its economic limitations. Cuba to the Dominican Rescue? March 17, 2003 Organizers are still insisting that Santo Domingo will be ready to host the Pan-American Games, but observers have seen a "new volleyball stadium that so far is no more than a few cement pillars and mountains of rubble." Swimming, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, cycling, rowing and equestrian events might possibly be cancelled if venues are not ready. Cuba is now sending help. About 100 Cubans have offered their services to help with the organization of the Games to help with the ceremonies, media coverage, the athletes' village, logistics, credentials, security and medicine. Cuban boxers withdraw from Titan Games Feb. 7, 2003 Citing "technical difficulties within our organization" the Cuban national boxing team has withdrawn from the Titan Games, less than seven days before the games are scheduled to begin in San Jose, California. Eight Cuban boxers were scheduled to compete, and were some of the higher profile marketing draws for the games. Organizers say it is too late to bring in another national team, so a second team put together by USA Boxing will stand in for the Cubans. The withdrawal is not understood to be a boycott by Cuba. Cuban wrestlers and weightlifters are still scheduled to compete. Castro praises Cuban athletes at "National Olympics" December 2002 Cuban President Fidel Castro congratulated his nations athletes for their performances at the recently concluded National Games. 46 athletes from other nations took part in the games which had some 1500 athletes total. Castro announced that another edition of the national festival would be held in 2004. Cuba boycotted this years Central American and Caribbean Games for the first time ever, citing concerns over security and anti-Cuban groups that would encourage defections, and even possibly attempt to assassinate Cuban officials. Cuba did not participate in 1959 due to the Cuban Revolution. Castro claimed that by comparing performances of Cuban athletes at the National Games with performances at the Central American and Caribbean Games, that Cuba would have won almost half the gold medals in El Salvador and set 34 Central American and Caribbean Games records. Cuba would have had fewer athletes competing in the games in El Salvador and fewer chances for records, and not had home field advantage, but even with those considerations Cuba probably would have won more than 50% of the gold medals, having completely overwhelmed the games by winning more than 50% of the gold medals on several occasions. In 1998 Cuba won 191 of the 379 available gold medals or 50.4%. In 1986 Cuba won 174 gold medals at the games, 60.4 % of the golds awarded. The best performance however by a Cuban team was when Havana hosted the games in 1982. Cuba won 173 of the 248 gold medals on hand, 69.8% of the gold medals that year. This year Castro calculated that based on performances, Cuba would have won 209 of the 436 gold medals or just 47.9%. Did the Cubans stay away then because it would have been a down year? How the Cuban Boycott Affected the Central American and Caribbean Games Medals Since 1970, Cuba has dominated the medals table at the Central and Caribbean Games. Over the past five games, Cuba has won around 300 medals on each occasion. With this years boycott, where did these 300 or so medals go? Several nations took advantage of the absence of Cuba to win their most medals ever at the games. The totals do not take into account that generally more medals are available in more recent games as events are added. Mexico won 351 total medals in 2002, its highest total ever. Mexico's next highest total was when it served at host in 1990.
Venezuela won nearly twice as many medals in 2002 as it had in its next best games, the 1998 games in which it served as host. Venezuela's third highest total was in 1959, when it also hosted the games.
Colombia had a very good games winning three times as many gold medals as any other Central American and Caribbean Games that it has participated in.
The Dominican Republic, which helped El Salvador to host three of the events, handball, racquetball and shooting won almost four times as many gold medals as in any previous games.
Puerto Rico won more gold, silver and bronze medals than any previous year, finally surpassing its previous best performance when it hosted the games in 1966.
Guatemala had a great games, easily doubling its previous total in gold medals, a performance that came over 50 years ago, when Guatemala City hosted the games.
Finally, in Cuba's absence host El Salvador made huge gains. El Salvador's previous high in gold medals was a tie between the 1998 games in Maracaibo, and all the way back in 1935, the last time El Salvador hosted the games.
Cuba Stuns CACG organizers, announces boycott November, 2002 In a surprise development, Cuba has said that they will not participate in the upcoming Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, Instead, Cuba will hold the first "Olympics of Cuban Sports," during the same time as the Central American and Caribbean Games. The Cuban authorities have stated that they were concerned about the safety of their delegation in San Salvador, claiming that intelligence officials had uncovered evidence that anti-communist groups from Miami were planning violence, planning to encourage defections, possible kidnappings of athletes, and even an assassination attempt on Vice President Jose Ramon Fernandez, the president of the Cuban Olympic Committee. Cuban authorities asked Salvadoran officials if they could take measures to protect the Cuban athletes during their time there, but, according to the Cubans, "no response has been received." El Salvador has not had diplomatic relations with Cuba since 1961. The boycott leaves the games without the strongest team, and will mean a massive redistribution of medals. Some events may be cancelled if replacement teams can not be prepared in time. Cuba first participated in the games in 1926 and, since 1970, has soundly trounced the rest of the Central American and Caribbean nations in the medals table, with Mexico second on each occasion. Cuba has only missed the games on one occasion, in 1959, due to the upheaval of the Cuban revolution. The games, held in Venezuela, were postponed from 1958, because of political unrest in that country.
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