FIDEL CASTRO: AN IDOL IN THE THIRD WORLD SPORTS?
DICTATORSHIP AND SPORT
To be frank this essay is a story about Olympic sport under the dictatorship of Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz. Under his dictatorial leadership, sports play an important part in the life of the Cuban Revolution since 1962.
Like Park Chung-hee (Asia/South Korea: 1962-79) and Idi Amin Dada (Africa/Uganda: 1971-79), Fidel Castro is a sports fanatic and enjoys watching all types of Olympic sports. Fidel Castro has visited the national team’s training camps, sports schools, National Schools Games and spent time with the students-athletes and Olympic players. Since 1990, the Cuban dictatorship has spent more than $80 million per year into Olympic sport. However, Cuba is not an Olympic paradise. Cuba’s modern sporting history has been marked by sporting defections.
Every dictatorship has a style of its own. Leonidas Rafael Trujillo had one: Dominican music. Francois Duvalier had one: Haitian culture. Kim Jong Il has one: the cinematography. He likes films as "Gone with the Wind", a famous film American. The dictator of North Korea wrote an essay "On the Art of Cinema".
The Idi Amin Dada regime was notorious for torturing political prisoners, forbidding dissent and free speech. Under the dictatorship of Idi Amin Dada, about 350,000 people were killed. But he loves Olympic sports like Fidel Castro Ruz. During 1970s he had become an outspoken champion of sport in the Third World. I remembered that the Ugandan team won two gold, four silver and three bronze medals during the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1974. Overall Ugandan team ranked tenth, before Wales, Trinidad Tobago, Tanzania and Jamaica.
Fidel Castro once said: "What has Cuba’s role been in the Olympic Games? What has it achieved? What has been the fruit of our efforts to promote healthy clean sports? At the 1972 Olympics, we finished 14th among 122 countries. At the Montreal Olympics in 1976—Juantorena remembers this well, and so do we—we finished 8th among 88 participating countries. In 1980, in Moscow we finished 4th among 81 countries; in 1992, in Spain we finished 5th among 169 countries; and in Atlanta, in 1996 we finished 8th among 197 countries. Could anyone refuse these figures". But under one of the world’s oldest surviving dictatorships, the sport has become a useful way for women and men to access to freedom.
Certainly, Cuban sport is a story of both frustration and miracles. The Cuban government reacted with increduly when in 1980 Roberto Urrutia, a weightlifter, unexpectedly announced his decision to seek asylum in the United States. At the age 14 Urrutia made weightlifting high top priority, and ten months later he established national records. Urrutia entered the 1975 Pan American Championship at the age of 18 and won gold medals for Cuba. In December, in Matanzas, he become the first Latin American weightlifter to obtain a World record. In 1976 he finally realized his dream of competing in the Olympics. Like Alberto Juantorena (track and field), Teofilo Stevenson (boxing) and Mireya Luis Hernandez (volleyball), Roberto Urrutia Hernandez, former member of Youth Communist Union, was a symbol of the Cuban Revolution. Roberto, was born on December 12, 1956, in La Havana, won 3 gold medals at the 1978 Weightlifting World Championships and ended world Soviet’s-year domination of international weightlifting. Certainly, he was voted Hero of the Year by Prensa Latina. Before the Moscow Olympic Games, Roberto Urrutia defected to the United States via Mexico.
In the past few years, we have seen a number of events take place: Taimaris Aguero, a player, came to seek freedom in Italy; Odelin Molina, an outstanding footballer from La Havana sought political asylum in the United States; and Dulce Tellez, a sportswoman, came to San Juan de Puerto Rico.
Aguero, who at 1,77, was considered one of the best female athletes in the Americas, at the age of 16 she become the youngest person ever to be a member of Cuban Team. During the 1993 World Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Aguero finished first in the competition for best setter. When Tanya Ortyz, setter from 1987 to 1995, announced her intention to retire at the end of 1995, Aguero was considered a leading candidate for the post. Therefore, she was keywoman when Cuba finished first at the 1998 World Championship. In 2000 Aguero helped the Cuban team reach victory at the Olympic Games. If not the greatest setter ever, she is certainly the most celebrated in volleyball history. Nowadays Taimaris Aguero is one of the most remembered and dearest sportswomen by Cubans. Behind baseball, volleyball is the most popular sport in Cuba.
Dulce Tellez was named best player in the 2006 Pan American Championships in Puerto Rico. Under her leadership Cuba won the bronze medal in volleyball in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She left Cuba in July 2006—three months before the World Championships in Tokyo. Before the 2006 World Championships, Cuba was ranked 3rd in the world. Now it is ranked 7th. Meanwhile, Odelin Molina, was born on August, 1974, in La Havana, was one of Cuba’s best footballer and played the 1991 World Championship Under-16 in Italy. In 1995 he defected to the United States, where he lives now.
SPORTING DEFECTIONS 1. Abvin Sánchez, Lazaro-Soccer1995…United States 2. Aguero, Taimaris-Volleyball…2001….Switzerland 3. Aldama, Yamilé-Track and Field…2003…United Kingdom 4. Arocha, Rene-Baseball…1991…United States 5. Arrojo, Rolando-Baseball…1996…United States 6. Barthelemy, Giorbis-Boxing…1990…United States 7. Blanco, Enrico-Boxing…1967…Canada
8. Bordabehere, Roger-Cycling…1994…Venezuela 9. Borrell, Lazaro-Basketball…1999…Puerto Rico 10. Brito Ferrer, Michel-Gymnastics….2003…United States 11. Brito, Javier-Volleyball…2004…Puerto Rico 12. Caballero, Angel Oscar-Basketball…1999…Puerto Rico 13. Cala, Yosleider-Volleyball…2003…Puerto Rico 14. Campoalegre, Ramón-Water Polo…1998…United States 15. Casamayor, Joel-Boxing……..1993…..United States 16. Castillo, Ulises-Boxing……….1993…..United States 17. Contreras, José Ariel-Baseball…2002…Nicaragua 18. Chappe, Taimi-Fencing…2002…Spain
19. De la Pena, Janerky-Gymnastics…2003…United States 20. Delgado, Alberto-Soccer…2002…United States 21. Dennis, Angel-Volleyball…2001…Belgium 22. Díaz, Juan Carlos-Baseball…1996…Dominican Republic 23. Dominguez, Iván-Cycling...1998...United States 24. Duquesne, Alfredo-Basketball…1994…Canada. 25. Garbey, Ramón-Boxing…………1993…..United States 26. García, Ives-Swimming…2001…Puerto Rico 27. García, Osvaldo Junior-Water Polo…1995…United States 28. García Martínez, Aliet-Soccer…2000…..United States 29. Gato, Ramón-Volleyball…2001…Belgium 30. Gilbert, Andres-Basketball….1993…Puerto Rico 31. Gomez, Juan Carlos-Boxing..….1995…Germany 32. González, José-Cycling…1994…Venezuela 33. Gregory, Elvis-Fencing…2002…Portugal 34. Griñan, Fernando-Soccer…….1996….United States 35. Guillen, Alain-Water Polo…1998…United States 36. Guillen, Arnaldo-Water Polo…1998…United States 37. Hernández, Adrian-Baseball…2000…Dominican Republic
38. Hernandez, Alain-Soccer…2000…Costa Rica 39. Hernandez, Ihosvany-Volleyball…2001…Belgium
40. Hernandez, Jorge Luis-Volleyball…2001…Belgium 41. Hernandez, Livan-Baseball…1995…Mexico 42. Hernandez, Odalys-Softball….1993…Puerto Rico 43. Hernández,Orlando-Baseball…1997…By boat 44. Herrera, Roberto Carlos-Basketball….1999…Puerto Rico 45. Herrera, Ruperto-Basketball…1994…Canada 46. Hurtado, Diobelys-Boxing…1995…United States 47. Ibañez, Ciro-Weightlifting…1986….United States 48. Juncosa, Abel-Shooting….1999….Canada 49. Lapera, Ulises-Field Hockey…1999…Canada 50. León Tamayo, Charles-Gymnastics…2003…United States 51. Marshall, Leonel-Volleyball…2001…Belgium
52. Martinez, Juan Carlos-Water Polo…1993…United States
53. Martinez, Rey-Soccer…2002…United States 54. Matienzo, Richard-Basketball….1994…Canada 55. Miranda, Arturo-Diving…1995…Canada 56. Montalvo, Niurka-Track and Field…1997…Greece 57. Muñoz, Daimara-Swimming…1998…Puerto Rico 58. Nuñez, Jesús-Cycling…1998…Venezuela 59. Nunez, Vladimir-Baseball…1995…Venezuela 60. Ortega, William-Baseball…1996…México. 61. Perez, Angel-Kayak…1993…United States 62. Perez, José-Track and Field…1997…Puerto Rico 63. Piedra, Armando-Water Polo…1995…United States 64. Pino, Héctor-Basketball…1999…Puerto Rico 65. Ramírez, Rio-Diving…1993…Puerto Rico 66. Rodriguez, Heriberto-Cycling…1998…Venezuela 67. Rodriguez Osorio, Gunther-Swimming…2003…Puerto Rico 68. Romero Mayeta, Laseer-Volleyball…2001…Bélgica 69. Rosales, Nubis-Swimming…1998…Puerto Rico 70. Salas, Maikel-Volleyball…2004…Puerto Rico 71. Sánchez, Alex-Baseball…1994…By boat 72. Sánchez, Alexis-Track andField…1998….Puerto Rico 73. Toca, Jorge Luis-Baseball…1998…By boat 74. Trevejo, Iván-Fencing…2002…Portugal 75. Urrutia, Roberto-Weightlifting….1980….Mexico 76. Valdés, Tatiana-Kayak…1994…United States 77. Vázquez, Juan-Basketball….1999….Canada
78. Wilson, Jesús-Wrestling…1994…United States
79. Zayas, Daniel-Weightlifting…1987…United States
REFERENCES -Alfonso Jorge. "Cuba en los Juegos", Bohemia, La Habana, 26 de julio de 1991 -Baxter Kevin. "Contreras to learn money changes everything", Miami Herald, Miami, 5 January 2003
-Enciclopedia de los Comités Olímpicos Nacionales Tomo-3. Comité Olímpico Internacional,Lausana, junio de 1980 -Fernández Mario. "El pariente pobre", Suplemento Deportivo Deportetotal Diario El Comercio, Lima, 31 de mayo de 2004 -Fernández Urbano. "Deporte : Las pesas hacia Moscú", Cuba Internacional, La Habana, mayo de 1980 -Lidz, Franz. "After the fall", Sports Illustrated, New York, 15-22 july 2002 -García Anne-Marie. "La frustración de Yamilé Aldama", Granma Internacional, La Habana, 20 de febrero de 2000 ………………… "Iván Trevejo recuerda a los Mártires de Barbados", Granma Internacional, La Habana, 3 de diciembre de 2000 Montesinos, Enrique. "La batalla por reparar la infamia contra los atletas cubanos no ha terminado", Granma, La Habana, 24 de octubre de 1999 -The Competition Results Volume III : The Official Report of the Centennial Olympic Games, The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Atlanta , 19997 -The Official Results of the 1984 Olympic Games Olympic Record, Olympic Committee, Pasadena, 1984 -Valle Manuel. "Taimi Chappé Valladares : espada de victorias", en El Deporte Derecho del Pueblo, La Habana, 11 de diciembre de 1991
About the Author
Alejandro Guevara is a writer about Third World issues (human rights, biographies, culture, history, olympic sport, democracy, women´s rights).
Alejandro has many books (Mundototal, Power and Woman, and History of Women in the United States) and essays (Dictatorship and Woman:The First Lady of the Cuban Revolution, Taiwan:Democracy and Human Development, Culture and Dictatorships, Fidel Castro and Sport, Pol Pot•, Robert Mugabe and Dictatorship, Indira Gandhi and Alberto Fujimori:The Last Dictatorship.
He has studied Political Science, International Relations, Literature and journalism and has been a professor and reporter…
Interests and Hobbies: his hobbies and interests are writing essays, going to the gym, browsing the Internet, Foreign Politics, learning about cultures, reading (his favourite writer is Juan Gasparini from Argentina), cooking Peruvian food, listening to American and British Music (his favourite singer is Barry White).
His personal motto is “the future is for those people who believe in the beauty of their dreams” by Eleanor Roosevelt...His heroes are Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Mpule Kwelagobe (ex Miss Universe and currently Anti-AIDS activist), Bono, Dian Fossey, Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey,Hernando de Soto, Javier Perez de Cuellar and Mario Vargas Llosa...
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