Havana, June 21 – The director of International Relations at the Cuban Sports Institute (INDER), Gisleidy Sosa, stated that on Thursday that in recent months, the sector has been affected by more than three million dollars in damage as a result of the United States blockade.
The amount of extra expenditures from March 2023 to February 2024 totals 3.405 million dollars, in terms to the acquisition of implements, tickets and event insurance, among other aspects.
Washington’s hostile policy also complicates the payment to Federations and international organizations, the collection of contracts by Cuban athletes and coaches abroad and the holding of events in Cuba.
In this regard, the director Cubadeportes S.A., Yadira González, noted that the blockade has reduced the participation of foreign delegations in tournaments and training bases due to the extraterritorial effects of the blockade.
The president of the Cuban Shooting Federation, Rafael Guerra, in turn, mentioned the ban on the import of weapons and ammunition with US components, and the doubled cost of ammunition because Cuba cannot purchase them wholesale directly from the factories.
In order to alleviate this situation, alternatives are being sought in the sector, such as the domestic production of electronic targets and innovation in the improvement of weapons.
Despite this panorama, Cuban sports sector receives support, understanding and solidarity from athletes, coaches and federations from other countries, who help us in every possible way, Sosa said.
Among the pending assets, the highest sum comes from baseball, with a total of 4.96 million for participation and individual and collective prizes in the World Classics and the Caribbean Series.
Likewise, the denial of visas for competitions and scientific events, the impossibility of receiving donations in a normal manner, the invalidation of an agreement with the Major League of Baseball (MLB) and the restriction to access digital platforms that call for virtual events were mentioned. (Text and photo: Prensa Latina)
2024-06-21 19:31:37
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