Baseball

The gateway to the Super Round of the XXVII WBSC Baseball World Cup 2015 is still open for half of the 12 nations in Osaka, with Japan and South Korea having already taken the top spots in the next round of battle that starts Thursday.

With one day of competition remaining the in Opening Round, here is a look of the current scenarios and how nations in Osaka can remain in the hunt for the U-18 world title:

GROUP A United States vs Brazil; Czech Republic vs Australia, and Japan vs Mexico, while Group B comprises Italy vs South Korea; Cuba vs Chinese Taipei and Canada vs South Africa.

Wrestling

Cuban fighters who will participate in the upcoming World Wrestling Championships are setting for a training base in the United States, home of the competition from September 7th-12th.

The head coach of the men's wrestling team, Julio Mendieta, told Cuba's AIN news agency that the athletes are well-prepared to go in search of several tickets to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

To achieve that goal, in the US city of Las Vegas, each gladiator should be among the top 5 in their division.

Mendieta added that there will be another chance in an event in Colombia, in March next year, which will ensure the quota for the gold and silver medalists.

The Caribbean nation's team is led by 5-time world champion and Olympic champion Mijail Lopez, at 130 kg. in the Greco-Roman style, in which will also compete Ismael Borrero (59), Miguel Martinez (66) and Yasmany Lugo (98) while Reineris Salas (86), two-time silver medalist in such contests, Yowlys Bonne (57), Livan Lopez (74), Javier Cortina (97) and Franklyn Marén (65) will be in the freestyle.

Finally, among the women will compete those experienced as Katherine Vidiaux (63) and Lisset Echevarria (75), in a tournament to be attended by more than 650 athletes from 88 countries.

Boxing
The Cuban boxing team of 8 fighters that will attend the VIII World Championship, 15-16 years category, departed for the Russian city of St. Petersburg, home of the fair, from September 4th-12th.

Humberto Horta, chief technical officer of the Antillean squad, will this time have the presence of the capital's figures Yan Marcos (46 kg), Elio Crespo (52), Edel Acosta (60) and Christian Pinder (75).

Rounding out the roster Erislandy Alvarez (50) from Cienfuegos, the Guantanamo Alexei Rodriguez (54), and Adrian Lescaille (57) and Christian Peró (80), from Camagüey, the latter twice Pan-American champion and brother of Lenier Peró.

Horta, will be joined by Olympic champion in Atlanta 1996, Maykro Romero, international referee Alejandro Barrientos, and the technical delegate Eduardo Limonta.

"We hope to give a similar performance to that of two years ago when we reach 3 gold medals," Horta said, adding that this will be the last World Cup in this category, as the AIBA make changes in the coming months, he said. In 2013, Cuba won 3 crowns, one of which is the flyweight Yohanys Argilagos, currently member of the national team.

The world cap will begin on Friday, September 4th, and at 2 pm will be the draw of the 13 categories to compete while evening program 1st fights will be held at 50 and 66 kg. divisions.

The world qualifying caps will run until September 8th, the quarterfinals will take place on the 9th, the semifinals will be 11th, and the grand finale will be on Saturday September 12th.

Chess

Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez dropped to 24th place in the world ranking and lowered his ELO to 2732 points, according to the ranks of the world update recently published by the International Chess Federation.

The Cuban, who played 7 games in the Championship of Spain with the Sestao Foundation team, fell 3 places in the top 100, from 21st to 24th and lost 4 points Elo, from 2736-2732 units by wining 2 games, tied 4 and being defeated once as main board of the Spanish club.

On the other hand, the other Cuban present in the ranking, GM Lazaro Bruzon, inactive in August, improved 2 places on the world list, from 87th to 85th place, and remained as the 3rd player in Latin America with 2659 points Elo.

Bruzón coefficient escorts the Peruvian GM Julio Ernesto Granda, who played 15 games during the 8th month of the year, to be ratified as the 2nd player in the region with 2667 ELO points and the 74th in the world ranking. Leinier, Bruzon and Granda, will soon compete in the World Cup, scheduled beginning September 11th in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.