Raul Castro Welcomes Victorious Cuban Athletes

Cuban President Raul Castro, accompanied by First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other government officials, welcomed at Havana's José Martí International Airport the last group of athletes from the victorious sports delegation that participated at the 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games, Veracruz 2014, according to this morning's edition of Granma newspaper.

The first to step down from the plane bearing the Cuban flag were twice wrestling champion Mijain Lopez and rowers Yariulvis Cobas and Angel Fournier.

The Cuban sports delegation was granted the Dignity Distinction at the games, which were hosted by the Mexican city of Veracruz, where Cuba concluded winner with 123 gold medals.

On the topic, and to assess the performance of our country in the regional meeting, the President of INDER and head of the Cuban delegation to Veracruz, Antonio Becali said: "We are pleased with the performance of our delegation that yesterday won the 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games, to meet our delegation's commitment to Veracruz with our people, the Revolution and the Cuban sports movement, to maintain what has been achieved in 1970 in Panama and just as you know we have not achieved when we have not participated..."

Later on, the executive added, "...the press started talking about 130 to 132 medals and I said I do not know who had done these calculations because they really did not take into account that Cuba is the Vedette, because wherever we are, they always have to have with the Cuban sports movement..."

Wrestling

Delegations from 13 countries have so far confirmed their intention to participate in the 45th Granma-Cerro Pelado International Wrestling Tournament, which gets underway in Cuba next week.

Manuel Rodriguez, methodologist of the national commission for the discipline said to local Prensa Latina news agency that this figure could increase in the coming hours, because the deadline is next Tuesday.

Delegations from Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, United States, Spain, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru, France and Puerto Rico, have so far announced their presence in Havana.

The fair will begin on the 12th with the preliminary fights and finals in 4 divisions of the Greco-Roman style, to be followed by this style among women's wrestling and men's free style category, until closing on December 15th.

Taekwondo
Led by world champions Glenhis Hernandez and Rafael Alba, major local figures will intervene at the Cuba's Taekwondo Championship, taking place from this Tuesday until Sunday, December 7th in Holguin province.

The fair, which will receive about 120 fighters from across the country, will serve as a proper stage to present the official retirement from active sport of Angel Valodia Matos, Olympic champion in Sydney 2000, said the Jit digital sports publication.

Also, Carlos Banasco, Commissioner of the discipline, explained that the event will be an important training gauge for the national squad to attend the qualifier regional event in the Dominican Republic from April 2nd-6th next year.

The main purpose of the Cuban squad in this lid will is to get the ticket in all divisions, of either sex, for the next Central and Caribbean event to meet, the specialist said.