14ymedio, Havana, 15 April 2024 — The failure of the Cuban national softball team in the Pan American Tournament of Sincelejo, Colombia, and in the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, where it did not win medals, will have consequences. “We will take action,” the National Softball Commissioner, Maikel Ibargüen Shue, journalist Guillermo Rodríguez Hidalgo insisted on Radio Rebelde.
The manager acknowledged the lack of international tournaments prior to the event in Colombia but denied that it was the cause of the bad results. “It wasn’t that, many things have happened,” he said, without indicating which ones. The team led by Leonardo Cárdenas ended its participation in Colombia with four wins and the same number of defeats. Cuba could not get any of the five tickets for the World Cup of the specialty.
However, Rodríguez Hidalgo estimates that part of the failure of softball internationally is due to “how little is played within our country,” where a national championship has not been held in the last two years. “To this we must add that we are in the presence of an aging team, in which the average age exceeds 35 years.”
The defeat, according to the Swing Completo portal, made the Island team face the “reality” that “it is no longer a favorite against the other teams in the area”
A fan identified as Juan Carlos agreed with the journalist that a renewal of the national team is urgently needed. Young people, who are usually the main competitors, have been moving away from a sport that has been forgotten by Cuban managers. “The headquarters in Ciego de Ávila is not ideal.”
The defeat, according to the Swing Completo portal, made the Island team face the “reality” that “it is no longer a favorite against the other teams in the area.” For Ibargüen Shue, all that remains is to “prepare for the new Olympic cycle.”
For its part, the Cuban official media Jit only highlighted the performance of Alain Román, from Ciego de Ávila, who opened the eight games of Cuba in the qualifying phase and achieved four victories. In addition, the national representative won fifth place in the last world contest held in Auckland, New Zealand (2022).
The best result on the Island was recorded in 1988, when it obtained fourth place in Saskatoon, Canada.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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