14ymedio, Madrid, June 16, 2022 — Ávila players Alfredo Fadraga and Yosvany Ávalos abandoned the Cuban team that is competing in the Pan American U-23 Championship held in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
The news was confirmed in the early hours of Thursday on social networks by the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), which explained that the flight took place on Wednesday night. “In leaving like that, they have reneged on the commitment made to the delegation and the homeland,” says the FCB on its Twitter account.
José Alejandro Rodríguez Zas, reporter for Swing Completo, was the first to publish the information, confirmed by his sources in the competition. The journalist explained that the escape occurred by taking advantage of the national team’s rest day, although he wouldn’t give more details “at the express request of the sources.”
The Cuban team had a placid tournament until it qualified to play this Thursday with the host, Mexico, on the last day of the qualifying phase, and with a view to obtaining first place ahead of the semifinals.
Last Monday, outfielder Roidel Martínez requested his dismissal from the headquarters of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) after being excluded, specifically, from this Under-23 team, which competes in Aguascalientes.
It’s been less than a year since the Cuban U-23 team selected for the World Championship, which was held in the Mexican state of Sonora, returned with half of the players who left, 12 out of 24.
Despite the fact that the massive escape captured international attention, to the point that official sports journalists drew attention to a problem that demanded political changes in the sports field, nothing has changed since then, and at each exit from the island the challenge of not losing members is now greater than that of winning the tournament.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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