Baseball

The Baseball Federation of Cuba announced at a press conference the preselection to start trainings at the Victoria de Giron stadium on Wednesday with a view to face friendly caps against the United States' baseball college selection in July.

The group includes 4 catchers, 16 infielders, 8 outfielders and 15 pitchers from most of the teams that took part in the last National Series, with the exception of Guantánamo, Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos and Mayabeque teams.

According to statements by its President Higinio Velez, the most talented young players, most with 23 years old, were chosen, in line with their performance in the latest National Baseball Series, was selected, including all players awarded at the Baseball Gala.

"We intend to develop and train the best from the world's classic 2013 to 2017, so we have chosen the 60 most experienced to go to Veracruz-2014, and the absence of some novel potentials are due to their implications attempts to leave the country illegally, such as the cases of Gelkis Jiménez, Adriel Labrada, Carlos Manuel Portuondo, Yasmani Hernández Romero, Diosdani Castillo and Alejandro Jaime Ortiz," said the executive, who also addressed with the press the cases of Freddy Asiel Alvarez and Ariel Miranda, and the possibility to insert Pedro Durán.

Finally, Higinio Vélez said the clash, agreed to 5 games, will be held between July 23rd and 27th at the Havana's Latinoamericano Stadium; then the 23rd and 24th at 7:15 pm at the Matanzas' Victoria de Giron Stadium and from 25th-26th at the Pinar del Rio's Capitán San Luis Stadium at 4:00 pm. to close the 27th at 2:00 pm. in Pinar del Río; Victor Mesa and Alfonso Urquiola will lead the team because their professionalism and experience.

Volleyball

The Cuban men's volleyball team debuts against China at the end of the 3rd level of the World Volleyball League, the next 28th and 29th, in the city of Bursa, Turkey, local media reported today.

The Cubans, who lead Group F will face the Chinese leaders of Group G on Saturday, in the semifinals to be completed by the meeting between Turkey and Slovakia.

The opposite attacker and captain Rolando Cepeda, leads the island payroll runs by Rodolfo Sánchez, who on this occasion included the libero Keibel Gutiérrez.

Cuba appears with the best results in the preliminary paragraphs F and D, with 15 points, 5 wins and 1 loss, and followed by Group F with China with 14 points, 5 wins and 1 defeat, and closed by the Turks (13-4-2) and Slovaks (11-3-3).

This year, the League covers 28 teams in 7 groups and 3 levels, where the winners will play the gold medal on Sunday --position 21st-- and the losers will compete for the bronze --place 23rd--.

Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Tunisia have already closed in steps from 25th to 28th, respectively.

Weightlifting

Five men and one woman will represent Cuba at the Weightlifting Tournament of the Pan-American Sports Festival to be organized by Mexico in July.

Jorge Luis Barcelán, technical head of the national preselection confirmed to JIT digital sports magazine that the men's team will be led by Olympic bronze medalist Iván Cámbar, and world medalist Yoelmis Hernández, both at 85 kilos, and is completed by Lázaro Maikel Ruiz (62) Ediel Márquez (69) and Javier Vanegas (94).

Coach Vicente Galvez and the referee Sergei Delgado completes the Cuban delegation.

Rowing

Cuban Angel Fournier recently ratified himself in the elite of single event, open category, by winning the bronze medal in the 2nd World Rowing Cup held in Aiquebelette, France, in a final that brought together much of the best of the world.

According to the website of the contest, Fournier, silver at the World Championship in Chungiu, South Korea, finished 3rd in the 1000 meters with 6:58.360 minutes.

The winner was New Zealand's Mahe Drysdale (6:55.150 minutes), London 2012 Olympic monarch, who was followed by Czech Ondrej Synek (6:56.970), owner of the silver and gold medals in London Olympics and South Korean World Championship, in that order.

Another great rower of the planet, Germany's Marcel Hacker (7:00.360), who won the bronze medal in Chungiu, finished 4th and was escorted by Belarusian Stanislaus Shcharbachenia (7:02.660) and Canadian Julien Bahain (7:12.250), in that order.

The winner of B final was Dutch Roel Braas (6:57.510), while the C and D finals were won by Mexican Juan Carlos Cabrera (7:04.730) and Bulgarian Romeo Angelov (7:14.010), respectively.