Volleyball Teams of Cuba and United States for Dual Meet

The male teams of volleyball of Cuba and United States will dispute two preparation matches here, getting ready for the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) this year, as announced today by Ariel Saínz, president of the Federation of the sport in the island. In his statements to Cuban daily Granma, the Cuban sport executive specified that the interest of both countries is to rescue the exchanges carried out during the 80's last century and said in advance that for the year 2017, the feminine squadswill be included to the dual meets, then for round trip matches, one in Cuba and another match in the US.

The US masculine team won its ticket to the Olympic Games, when winning the gold medal of gold in the World Cup held in Japan from September 8 to 23 in 2015.

In that event, the best performances, were for the US, the champions, in a team formed by captain William Priddy, Sean Rooney, Richard Lambourne, Clayton Stanley, David Lee and Matt Anderson.

Rodolfo Sánchez, head coach for the Cubans who will compete in the Pan-American Cup, from May 19 to 27, 2016 in Culiacán, Mexico, and later on in the second level of the World Volleyball League, specified that the North Americans already announced all their regular players to come to Havana.

"The two games will be very useful for both teams and, of course, the Americans want to see how we are for the Olympic Games, when the men hired abroad, have defintely returned to Cuba", Sánchez pointed out.

Central players Daimara Lescay and Liván Osoria.have already come back to the island. Lescay played for the club Jaansa, sixth among 11 teams of the first division in Peru; while Osoria formed the regular team of the Obras Publicas San Juan, in Argentina, that concluded third.

Also, in one of the two matches of the dual meet, there will be a homage to Cuban former volleyball players, who integrated the payroll that brought the bronze medal in Montreal, Canada, in 1976.

Carlos Salas, Lorenzo Martínez, Victoriano Sarmiento, Antonio Rodríguez, Victor García, Alfredo Figueredo and deceased Ernesto Martínez will be recognized before the volleyball fans in the Havana Sports City Coliseum, together with Gilberto Herrera and Nelson Pollato, technical and assisting director, for that order, of that selection that opened the way to the Olympic medals for our country.

In the same day, Doug Beal, executive director of the US Volleyball Federation, will receive the homage of the Cuban fans.

After his 69 years of age on past March 4, Beal expressed his wish to leave his position in 2016.

As a trainer, he took to the North American male squad to their first gold medal in Olympic Games during the edition of Los Ángeles-1984, coaching a team full of stars that included Steve Timmons, Craig Buck and Karch Kiraly, among others.