14ymedio, Havana, 6 July 2022 — Cuban boxer Andy Cruz, who spent several days in detention after an attempted escape from the island, requested his withdrawal from the sport. The journalist Francys Romero pointed out that the Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020 appeared last Tuesday at the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum in Havana to carry out the procedure.
As explained by the Romero on his social networks, Cruz must “wait for the lengthy processes of discharge and passport unlocking to which athletes who represent a national interest and who do not want to continue competing under the Cuban system are subjected.”
The boxer saw his escape frustrated by the denunciation of Rolando Céspedes, El Prosecutor, a man who has been in the business of athletes who leave for more than 10 years and who has contacts with immigration officials in Cuba. This person “demanded a large sum” that was not delivered, so he denounced the whereabouts of Andy Cruz and baseball player César Yanquiel Hernández, who intended to leave the island.
The athletes were surprised and taken to Moa, where they remained for 10 days. So far the boxer has not offered any comment.
“In addition to the abandonments and mass exoduses, withdrawal requests have spread to all sports in recent times,” tweeted Romero, who is based in the US.
After being excluded from the Under-23 team that participated in the World Championship that took place in Aguascalientes, outfielder Roidel Martínez requested his withdrawal. This case recalled the one experienced by Luis Enrique González and Darlin Jíménez, who were “erased” at the last minute from the list of the Under-23 team that traveled to Mexico in 2021 for the World Championship held in the state of Sonora.
Last April, the silver medalist at the London 2012 Olympic Games and world champion in Beijing 2015, Yarisley Silva, also requested her withdrawal, but this was from the Cuban National Athletics Team. Her decision came after she was left out of the 18th edition of the World Indoor Athletics Championships, which took place in Belgrade (Serbia), due to problems bringing her own poles.
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