Havana, June 20 (RHC) ==The impact of the U.S. blockade has repercussions in all spheres and in the daily life of Cubans. Sports are no exception to the hostility of the U.S. Government towards the largest of the Antilles.
Precisely this Thursday morning, an update on the impact of this scourge on the sports movement on the island was presented at the Adolfo Luque hall of the Latin American stadium.
Gisleidys Sosa, director of international relations of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), Yadira Gonzalez, president of Cubadeportes S.A. and Rafael Guerra, president of the Cuban Shooting Sport Federation, presented through figures and concrete facts, some of the most notable losses generated by the U.S. blockade.
One of the most affected disciplines is precisely shooting. Rafael Guerra, speaking to Radio Habana Cuba (RHC), told us:
¨Our athletes and coaches suffer the effects of the blockade just like our population. In shooting we have limitations on the importation of weapons and ammunition because, by law, the factories that have U.S. components in them are prohibited from selling them to Cuba. We are forced to acquire ammunition in shooting ranges where the price doubles, affecting the federation's budget.
The damage is not only limited to ammunition, as the manager expanded on this information. Since they do not have them to practice, they are forced to carry out training camps abroad, which entails the purchase of tickets, visa payments, lodging, internal transportation, food and payment of installation fees.
Precisely on this last point, Guerra commented: ¨In Europe the cost is 50 Euros per person a day. You spend twenty days in a training base to prepare for the Olympic Games, and multiply the number of athletes by the number of days. The figure is significant," he concluded.
We illustrated the example of shooting, but there is no sporting discipline alien to the effects of the U.S. blockade. Our national sport, baseball, as a result of the restrictions imposed on transactions with Cuba, has been deprived of the income of almost five million dollars (4960000.00). This amount is only for participation and prizes in the World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series.
Likewise, the denial of visas to athletes, managers, scientists and even technical support such as digital platforms, hinder the development of our athletes, referees and coaches.
Despite the unilateral blockade of the U.S. government on the Cuban people, our sports movement is still alive and remains among the global powers, although the latent question will always remain. If with additional economic losses as a result of this hostile act, our sportsmen and sportswomen succeed in world championships and summer events, how far could we go without the weight of the blockade on our backs?
