Thomas Bach meets with young Cuban sportsmen and sportswomen / Photo: Ricardo López Hevia
Havana, March 2 (RHC) - Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), inaugurated a multi-functional sports hall, met with athletes and directors and took part in an extraordinary meeting of the Cuban Olympic Committee's executive, on his first day of work in Havana.
At the Coliseum of the Havana Sports City, Bach inaugurated the multipurpose multi-purpose board donated by Panam Sports, in the presence of its president, Chilean Neven Ilic, and the head of the Cuban Olympic Committee (COC), Roberto León Richards.
During the inauguration of the small board, Bach and his accompanying delegation enjoyed a sports-cultural show and then exchanged and took pictures with Cuban sports stars such as Mijaín López, María Caridad Colón, Yumilka Ruiz, Julio César La Cruz, Arlen López and Serguei Torres.
Four-time Olympic champion Mijaín López presented him with a wrestling uniform, while two-time Olympic boxing champions Julio César La Cruz and Arlen López gave him autographed pairs of gloves.
An emotional moment was his meeting with former fencer and coach Eduardo Jons, who gave him a fencing jacket, a sport in which they both participated in the Montreal-76 Games, where the current IOC head was crowned champion in team foil.
"Thank you very much for everything. I hope to see you one day at the Olympic Games," Bach told the young athletes who performed the sports choreographies.
At noon, the maximum leader of Olympism delivered the trophy of the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a certificate of recognition to the COC, was in the presentation of the website of the entity and enjoyed the gallery of Cuban Olympic champions.
Afterwards, he had words of praise and admiration for Cuba's sports movement and highlighted its achievements not only in sports, but also in education, health and science.
This Friday Bach and his companions will inaugurate an athletics track at the Pan American Stadium in eastern Havana, then he will have a meeting with the press and shortly after he will travel to Jamaica to continue his tour of the Caribbean.
