The most popular sport in Cuba will be proclaimed cultural heritage of the nation on October 19
Havana, October 8 (RHC)-- The most popular sport in Cuba will be proclaimed Cultural Heritage of the Nation on October 19, as confirmed at a press conference in which INDER First Vice President Raúl Fornés Valenciano highlighted the scope of the strategy approved for its development.
The recognition of "The cultural dimension of baseball: the ball game, knowledge and associated practices" will be made official in a ceremony scheduled for the emblematic stadium of Matanzas' Palmar de Junco, said Maria Teresa Blanco, a specialist of the National Heritage Council of the Ministry of Culture.
In a dialogue with journalists organized in the Adolfo Luque Hall of the Latin American Park, the expert praised the professionalism of the work developed in order to meet the necessary requirements to conform the dossier that supported the proposal.
He said that this work, forged jointly with INDER and baseball authorities, was marked by abundant approaches to fans and lovers in general of a discipline that, according to Omar Baliño, director of the José Martí National Library, is a pure expression of Cuban identity.
The member of the group in charge of this process said that beyond its sporting expression, baseball is a catalyzing element of Cuban culture, reflected in many expressions of the arts, language and daily life on the island.
Conceived as part of the activities for the National Culture Day, to be celebrated on October 20, the proclamation will be preceded by the presentation this Friday of the book Cuando el beisbol se parece al cine, by Norberto Codina, who also participated in the dialogue with reporters.
The intellectual recalled the efforts of historian Ismael Sené and the equally deceased Higinio Vélez and Ernesto Reinoso, promoters of this work from their roles as president of the Cuban federation and national commissioner, respectively.
Regarding the national baseball strategy, whose application was slowed down by the arrival of covid-19, Fornés Valenciano emphasized its origin and popular projection, and the need to implement it in a sustainable manner, whose impacts are evaluated in each of the areas from which it was developed.
By the way, the national commissioner Juan Reinaldo Perez advanced that it is about to begin a national tour designed to exchange in each one of the provinces, where in addition matters related to the 61st National Series, pending of definitive date, will be valued.
The executive himself confirmed that on October 17 will begin the preparation of the pre-selection from which will emerge the team that will represent Cuba in the First Pan American Junior Games, convened from November 25 to December 5, with Barranquilla as the venue for this sport.
