Cuba-US Friendly Games

The Cuban government has said "yes'' to baseball and boxing games in Pittsburgh next summer, according to Mike Diven, who is in Cuba to arrange the event. Diven held a press conference on Wednesday at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana.

Diven said he hopes to hold the boxing tournament at the Roberto Clemente complex on July 30th, 2016, with amateur Pittsburgh fighters battling their Cuban peers. Admission would be free. The baseball tournament is envisioned to include teams from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico, with the final and semifinal games to be played in PNC Park.

No firm commitments are in hand on the Pittsburgh side. Diven says he expects the Cuban endorsement to push local interest.

Cycling
Cuban cyclists Lisandra Guerra and Marliés Mejías will compete in the 2nd phase of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in New Zealand from the 4th-6th of December this year, and the Tour de San Luis, which precedes the Grand Prix of route of that Argentinean locality, next January, both qualifying for Rio de Janeiro 2016.

In order to train and add points to the Olympic roster, Guerra intervenes in the 2 tests of the program, speed and keirin; meanwhile, Marliés will do it in omnium, the test of 6 forms in 2 days, and the route event.

Both runners participated in the 1st round based in Cali, Colombia, but the performance of both was not the best.

Cubans Yumari González, Yeima Torres, Iraida García, Mailín Sánchez and Olga Echenique will also participate in the Tour de San Luis.

Triathlon
Led by Michel González, Cuban triathletes Conrado Martinez, Ana Leydis Arias and Leslie Amat will depart on Sunday for the Dominican Republic, for a training base to take part in the 1st International Triathlon of Santo Domingo, preparatory period of 2016 Season.

Cuban quartet will intervene on November 28th and 29th in the 1st edition of the Dominican fair, described as one of the most important in the region due to the confirmation of many of the main athletes in America, so far 500 confirmed, according to local media.

Of the 4 categories in competition, Cubans will compete in the Olympic distance (1500 meter swim, 40 km. of cycling and 10km running), the super sprint (250 m-12 km-2.5 km), the sprint (750 m-20 km-5 km) and a run for novices.

Also, Cubans will hold a training base for 14 days in the Dominican capital with an eye on the Central American and Caribbean of Puerto Rico, and the International Triathlon of Havana, to be held in January and February 2016, respectively.

Wrestling
With a balance of 12 wins and only one defeat the trio of Cuban gladiators concluded their participation in the qualifying stage of the German Bundesliga Wrestling, entering Saturday, November 21st in the post Season.

The world medalist, Yowlis Bonne with a record of 6 wins and no defeats highlights the Nendingen payroll, 1st team in the South Zone, whose final round will have the Cuban multichampion Mijail Lopez (1-0), where the main purpose of club is to reissue the crown obtained in the previous version.

On the other side and with good drive too, the freestyles wrestler Alejandro Valdéz, twice Pan-American champion, defends the colors of the RWG Mömbris/Königshofen team, 3rd of the North Bundesliga, which currently leads with 5 wins and 1 loss.

Baseball
Outfielder Yunieski Gurriell was the best Cuban hitter in the just ended Premier 12 Baseball Tournament where Cuba finished in 6th position after losing 7-2 to South Korea in the quarterfinals.

Gurriell, who debuts with the national team, led the Cuban offensive with 412 average of 7 hits in 17 at-bats, 3 doubles and 4 RBIs.

Yunieski, 33 years old, who has played in the last 2 Seasons with the Capitals Quebec team in the Canadian Baseball League was seconded by another rookie, his fellow outfielder Stanley Hernandez, who averaged 389, 7 hits in 18 at-bats, 1 double, 1 homer and 5 trailers, leading the team in this regard.

Others who excelled were the catcher Yosvani Alarcón (21-8-381) and 1st baseman Alexander Malleta (20-7-350), while the rest of the Cuban hitters were below 300, highlighting the 3rd baseman Yulieski Gurriell who just hit 227, no RBIs, and his younger brother Lourdes Gurriell, who only connected 190.