A few days before the end of July celebrations for the Summer Olympics Games in London will begin. In our country, as in many others, it will be a sporting festival that will see many fans anchored in front of their TV sets to enjoy the competitive displays, with their bold summer colors, and to witness the many sporting events that will be broadcast.
Emotions will be bound together with the flags, the anthems, the blood, sweat and tears that sum up the participants’ sacrifices, and the pride and recognition of the viewers.
In Cuba, as always, it will be much more because sports has a surname. It’s “Revolution.”
Success in sports is politicized and every Cuban player who crosses the finishing line first—according to the voice over from the national commentators—will do so not only with limbs and organs trained for locomotion, but with his blood, his guts and “with his heart.”
This verbose dismemberment will come with a package of political commercials included that we Cubans will have to endure with our telereceptors.
Translated by: Michelle Eddy
July 14 2012
