Baseball
The 54th Cuban National Baseball Series, the main baseball tournament on the island, began on Sunday with the game between Matanzas and Pinar del Rio.
The first game was played at the Captain San Luis Stadium, in Pinar del Rio, in Cuba's extreme western province.
After the opening game on Sunday, the Season will begin earlier for the first time in more than 50 years covering 16 teams.
According to the schedule, 3 games could be played every day and the qualification stage will have a recess from Nov. 4th to Dec. 5th due to the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games to be held in Mexico's eastern city of Veracruz.
Then, playoffs will last until Dec. 19th including 45 games, while on Sept. 25th, the 8 teams to take part in the qualifying stage will be defined.
The All-Star Game is scheduled from Dec. 27th and 28th to lately take another recess for the New Year holiday to finally resume the tournament at the beginning of January 2015.
In February 2015, there will be another recess due to the participation of Pinar del Rio team in the Caribbean Series, to be held in Puerto Rico.
Finally, the official closing will be on March 19th, in a match where the champion will be defined.
Basketball
The Cuban women's basketball squad fell extensively by 73-46 on Sunday against Spain at the close of a triangular tournament in preparation for the World Championship to be held in Turkey from September 27th to October 5th
The disciples of coach Alberto Zabala, American champions in 2013, were easily overcome in 3-1 sets by the Spanish, the monarchs of Europe last year, with markers of 10-23, 13-17, 11-22, though the last quarter was narrowly won by Caribbeans by 12-11.
Alba Torrens, with 15 points and Marta Xargay and Laura Nicholls, both 12, commanded the Iberian offensive, that will play in Group A of the next world cup.
Meanwhile, among the Cubans, who will struggle in Group C at the world event, no player reached 10 points accumulated, among which Leidis Oquendo contributed with 7 and Marlén Cepeda and Anisley Galindo, 6 each.
Digital Underwater Photography Festival Closes in Central Cuba
The 80 Cubans and foreign visitors attending the Digital Underwater Photography Festival at Faro Luna Hotel, in Cienfuegos province, closes today, Monday.
Georgina Garcia Romagosa, Rancho Luna-Faro Luna Hotel Complex business deputy director, told ACN that the meeting of divers and photographers is a very important step to show Cienfuegos' underwater world.
Rancho Luna Cove is successfully marketed as diving area in England, Germany, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, and this could be more promoted in the high tourist season.
Ernesto Manzanares, head of the Diving Center, noted that the group of participants included underwater photography specialists, recognized in Cuba and Latin America, who competed in 4 categories: environment, environment with model, fish and macros.
Considered a place par excellence for marine excursion, the coastline of Cienfuegos has more than 30 dive sites within a mile, enriched with sunken treasures, vessels, mazes, and the biggest coral reef in the Caribbean, Notre Dame, measuring about 5-meters high.
