Cuba and Latin America’s best chess player, Grand Master Leinier Dominguez, will participate in his ninth consecutive World Chess Olympiad on Friday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Leinier, 34th in world rankings, made his debut 16 years ago during Istanbul’s World Chess Olympiad.
During his eight participations at World Olympic events, Leinier has played 87 games, with a positive balance of 33 victories, 45 draws and only nine defeats.
For the 42nd edition of the World Olympics, Leinier shows optimism when evaluating the Cuban delegation, which is made up of the same players who reached 7th place during the last competition held in Troms, Norway in 2014.
"We have been very close to having a good result, but something has always failed at crucial moments, this is why we feel we can accomplish more than 7th place," said the chess player before heading to Baku.
"I am very optimistic for this Olympics, the team is in good shape and we have now more experience than before," he added.
Baku Olympics will open on Thursday, September 1st and one day after the first of the planned eleven rounds will be played starting at 3p.m. (local time), 7 o’clock Cuba.
Rio 2016 Paralympic Village Welcoming World's Best Para Athletes
The Rio 2016 Paralympic Village opened its doors to the world's best Para athletes on Wednesday.
In total, around 4,350 athletes from over 160 countries will travel to Rio. Supporting these athletes will be about 3,000 team officials, many of whom will also be staying at the village alongside referees, judges and other sports personnel.The village is located in Barra da Tijuca in western Rio, near Barra Olympic Park.
Among the first athletes to move into the village on Wednesday will be those in the delegations of home nation Brazil, the USA, Cuba, Canada, Denmark, Namibia, Great Britain and the Netherlands.In the days since the ending of the Olympic Games on 21 August, a series of changes have been made to the village to adapt the huge complex to the needs of Paralympian athletes.
There are 31 buildings at the site and all have units adapted for people with an impairment or with reduced mobility. The doors are wider, showers taller and corridors larger, and the lifts have room for two wheelchairs at a time.
During the transition period since the Olympic Games, healthcare company Ottobock, the official prosthetic and orthotic service provider for the Paralympic Games, has also installed a specialist repair centre in the village.
In total, more than 9,000 people, including 2,000 volunteers, will be working at the village for the duration of the Paralympic Games.
Cuban Paralympic Swimmer Aiming at Three Medals in Rio
Cuban swimmer Lorenzo Perez will is looking take three medals home competing at the 15th Paralympic Games, scheduled for September 8-18 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Silver and bronze medalist in London 2012, the prominent athlete, member of the Cuban Association of the Physically Impaired and Persons with Motor Problems, will compete in the 50, 100 and 400 freestyle events, S6 category.
Perez told the press that he is in optimum shape. Along with Coach Ernesto Garrido, physiotherapist Fernando Quintana and teammates Yunerki Ortega of the province of Villa Clara, and Juan Castillo, of Havana, he’ll travel to Rio to give the best of themselves.
He has won several medals, including five gold and one silver at Para-Pan-American Games and the aforementioned silver and bronze in the Paralympics, with the possibility of increasing in Rio the amount obtained so far.
Composed of 20 athletes, the Cuban delegation to the Paralympics in Brazil will compete in athletics, swimming, judo, weightlifting and table tennis in wheelchair
Just as Usain Bolt won an unprecedented 'triple' in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Jason Smyth is looking to have his name recorded in the history of the Paralympic Games in Rio.
The Irishman told the International Paralympic Committee he is determined to win gold in his third consecutive Olympic Games and believes he can run faster this time.
"I’m absolutely sure that there is potential to run faster than I did during the last Paralympics. I’ll try, but what ends up happening that day is yet to see. Nevertheless I remain optimistic”, said Smyth, a visually impaired sprinter who set a new world record in 100m sprint with 10.46 seconds in London 2012, four years after beating the mark for that same distance in Beijing 2008.
Hard work, but also the chance to relax off of the tracks and enjoy his recent fatherhood, could be vital to Smyth, who knows he has to meet certain expectations.
"Obviously it means a lot (to win gold in Rio). With Beijing and London having been so good, I’ll try and continue to keep a high standard", said Smyth, who already is thinking about participating in the Paralympic Games of 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
Sprinter Omara Durand Leads Cuban Delegation to Rio Paralympics
Cuban sprinter Omara Durand, three times champion in Doha 2015, leads Cuban delegation to the 15th Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro from September 7th to 18th.
Along with Durand, two times T-12 (people with impaired vision) champion in London 2012, is sprinter Yunidis Castillo, three times T-46 (people with upper limb amputated) champion in London 2012 and twice in Beijing 2008.
Other Cuban athletes with chances of winning medals are Leinier Savon, in 100 and 200 meter-race (T-12) and Leonardo Diaz, in F-54-56 (paraplegic people), who is seeking his third medal after the ones reached in the previous competitions.
So far, Cuba will only participate in 36 competitions out of the 523 that have been announced.
