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Cuba rejects IOC Executive Committee
decision
Héctor Miranda
HAVANA.—The Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) yesterday
rejected the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
decision to propose seven-a-side rugby and golf as
the only two sports with the possibility of being
added to the Olympic Programme.
COC
President José Ramón Fernández stated, “It is sports
that are within the reach of the masses that should
be in the world competitions. Golf is an elite sport
of the upper classes and should not be prioritized
above other, more popular sports.”
Fernández insisted that for Cuba, “sports for all
the people are those within which people with the
greatest talent, the greatest desire and the most
will can become high-performance athletes and
represent their countries in international
competitions.”
He
stated that “in some regions that is cricket, in
others baseball, including the combat disciplines,
but there is a series of sports that are highly
popular in any region of the world, far more so than
golf and rugby.”
“Cuba has defended the return of baseball, which
should have never have been excluded, and which has
led to lengthy arguments among and rejection by
members of the International Olympic Committee
itself, with multiple votes in which the leadership
was unable to impose its will,” he added.
The
Cuban official emphasized his rejection “of elite
sports considered as popular sports because the
former only have a commercial interest and for us,
sports are not a commercial means but a practice for
people in general to enjoy and should be free of
charge.”
“We
believe that the selection of these two sports is
not in line with the interests, hopes and
expectations of the majority of nations and national
Olympic committees,” he added in reference to
seven-a-side rugby and golf.
And
he underlined that “when I say ‘this selection,’ I
do so because it has done away with the possibly of
seven other sports gaining entry and the IOC is only
going to vote for one of those two or for neither.
Therefore, the decision is virtually made and that
does not please us.”
Golf
and rugby are close to becoming Olympic sports for
2016 after being recommended yesterday by the IOC
Executive Committee during a meeting in Berlin.
A
further five sports – baseball, softball, squash,
roller skating and karate – remain virtually ruled
out.
The
IOC General Assembly is to meet in October in
Copenhagen, Denmark, to elect the venue of the 2016
Olympic Games and to decide whether to accept the
inclusion of gulf and rugby in that competition.
(PL)
Translated by Granma International
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