Baseball

Over the weekend, Cuban Yuliesky Gourriel, debuted in style in the first division of Japanese professional baseball batting for his team, the Yokohama DeNA Baystars. They beat the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles by a score of 5 to one.

Gourriel travelled through the Japanese minor league circuit for a short period looking to adapt to the new competitive setting, and his debut at the highest level had been expected since last Friday, but rain prevented it a couple of times.

The incorporation of the star third baseman of the Cuban national team arrives at the best time for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars team that ranks last in the Japanese Central Baseball League with negative balance of only 23 wins and 31 defeats.

Sunday became the day of celebration for baseball players of the Caribbean nation immersed in the second hardest championship in the world, because the fielder Frederich Cepeda also stood out, in pinch-hitting role with bat at the ready, with a single homer, his fourth homer of the season.

In this way, Cepeda contributed to the Yomiuri Giants win of 8-1 over the Chiba Lotte Marines, consolidating the success of the West Indian team on top of the Central League of Japan with 32 wins and 26 losses.

The recruitment of Frederich Cepeda and Yuliesky Gourriel to take part in the 2014 season of Japanese Major League Baseball corresponds to the policy of the Cuban Baseball Federation to promote the presence of the island's players in foreign baseball leagues.

Running

The 54th international 15-km race called "Quito-Ultimas Noticias", the most important one in Ecuador took place over the weekend.

Peruvian Ines Melchor won the women's category, for the second year, with a time of 51 minutes and 55 seconds.

Meanwhile, Kenyan runner Julius Keter won the men's race with a time of 46 minutes and 12 seconds, followed by Peruvian Raul Machacuay in 46 minutes and 40 seconds.

The race began in southern Quito and ran through the central and northern regions of the city, ending in Atahualpa Olympic stadium, where an art festival was organized.

During a press conference, Melchor, who is 27 years old and a Pan-American champion, said she was very happy to win. "My goal was to come in first and I made it," said Melchor.

Melchor, the two-time champion in the Quito race, said she will participate in next year's race and praised the level of the athletes who take part in the competition.

At least eleven heads of state and government have confirmed their attendance at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Sao Paulo on Thursday, and a total of 20 leaders will be watching World Cup matches in Brazil which until July 13th.

The first group will watch the first match of the championship alongside Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon according to information from Planalto Palace.

The Emir of Qatar, Tamin Bin Hamad Al-Thani, is one of those who have already confirmed the attendance at the match between Brazil and Croatia after the opening party.

Presidents of Ecuador, Rafael Correa; Ghana, John Dramani Mahama; Uruguay, José Mujica; Suriname, Desiré Delano Bouterse; Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos; Gabon, Ali Bongo Odimba; Paraguay, Horacio Cartes and Bolivia, Evo Morales are also coming for the opening.

Croatia will be represented by prime-minister Zorán Milanovic. Chile’s president, Michele Bachelet, will watch the opening ceremony and the match between Chile and Australia, on Friday, the 13th, in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will not attend the opening, but will watch the match between Germany and Portugal, in Salvador, Bahia, next Monday.

Likewise, the president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, will watch his national team’s match against France next Sunday, the 15th, in Porto Alegre.