Official criticizes regulations against Cuban sportspeople in US

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27 May 2021

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Havana, May 27 (Prensa Latina) General Deputy Director of US Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Cuba, Johana Tablada, on Thursday criticized regulations that prevent Cuban sportspeople from playing in the United States.

On her Twitter account, the official commented baseball player Cesar Prieto's withdrawal from the Cuban team that will compete at the Olympic qualifier tournament in Florida.

These things only happen because Cuban baseball players are the only ones prevented by these blockade's absurd and discriminatory regulations from playing in the United States and keeping their residences, properties and profit in Cuba, she said.

The Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) on Thursday reported Prieto's decision and recalled that the encouragement of this type of behavior has marked the many aggressions against Cuban sports, 'victim of merchants and traffickers' actions.'

It stressed that these practices are favored by the decision of the US government to revoke the agreement aimed at normalizing the inclusion of Cuban baseball players in MLB (Major League Baseball) circuits.

After several days waiting, the Cuban baseball team received the visa and traveled to the US on Wednesday to take part in the Florida Olympic Qualifier on its way to Tokyo 2020.

The Cuban team is in Group B of the qualifying competition and will make its debut against Venezuela on Monday, May 31. It will compete against Canada on Tuesday and, finally, against Colombia on June 2.

Group A is made up of the United States, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Japan, Israel, South Korea and Mexico have already qualified for Tokyo 2020, and another two teams have to earn the right to participate in the Olympics.