In May 2024, the international press reported on the formation of the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in which two Cuban athletes were unjustifiably included.
The EOR was publicly presented as a group of young athletes “uprooted by war or persecution.”
Since that moment, in a serious and respectful manner, we have been in communication with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), so that this unfortunate situation could be clarified, taking into account that the IOC directors recognize that none of these Cuban athletes are uprooted by war or persecuted.
The decision to include Cuban athletes in the EOR was adopted without the support of the Cuban Olympic Committee and with the clear objective of attacking the image of the national sports movement, which has given so much glory to our people.
We clearly inform the IOC that the COC supports the idea with which the EOR was originally conceived in 2015; Just as we had nothing against Cuban athletes, nor do we have anything against many other Cuban athletes and coaches who live or develop their sports careers in other countries.
In this context, and encouraged to find a constructive solution, we officially inform the IOC of our willingness as the National Olympic Committee to allow the participation of these athletes in the Olympic Games, representing the countries where they reside, and which they have sometimes represented in international competitions.
Unfortunately, one of the two athletes now included in the EOR has made disrespectful and fallacious political statements against his country, his people and the sports movement that allowed him to be Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020.
This confirms Cuba's concerns about the true political motivation for the inclusion of athletes of Cuban origin in the EOR, although IOC officials assured that the aforementioned athletes would not make statements of this nature.
This action is a violation of the Olympic Charter and the rules established by the IOC for all athletes participating in the Olympic Games.
Given this reality, and taking into account that the IOC has not commented on our most recent message in this regard, the COC is obliged to publicly report this situation and demand the immediate expulsion of the aforementioned athlete from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, according to the rules that govern the International Olympic Movement.
The COC reiterates its strongest rejection of the inclusion of Cuban athletes in the EOR, as part of the political manipulation of sport.
The Cuban Sports Movement demands that the IOC fulfill its responsibilities of enforcing the principles of Olympism.
CUBAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
Paris, July 23, 2024
(Taken from MinRex)
