The news is just beginning to socialize and wonder is total. Olympic champion and former world record holder in the 110 meter hurdles, Dayron Robles, is in Cuba. He has started training and his main objective is to re-represent our people in international competitions. Those were the statements by Santiago Antunez, guru of Cuban hurdles school, to Norman Hernandez, Villa Clara journalist with CMHW radio station. The interview has been featured on various internet sites, but OnCuba preferred to give voice to the protagonists in order to see firsthand all about this good news. In a telephone conversation with Dayron, the Guantanamo athlete confirmed us his presence on the island, right here in the capital. He didn’t want to provide details of his or his shape or possible talks with Cuban athletics federation or INDER officials. Minutes later we contacted Antunez, who was very grateful to have the opportunity to clarify the current status of his disciple. First of all, he confirmed the veracity of the interview that he gave CMHW. "Dayron actually is training in Havana and soon I will join him to continue the development of our immediate objectives." Those were his first words In relation to why...

Pinar del Rio´s first baseman Juan Miguel Miranda made official this week a contract with the Nippon-Ham Fighters, team enrolled in the Pacific League in Japanese professional baseball. As reflected in the official website of the Japanese squad: www.fighters.co.jp, the agreement will be valid for one year, with a cost slightly higher to half a million dollars. Miranda, who was born in Consolacion del Sur municipality, will coincide in the franchise with Matanzas´ Michel Abreu, who had a spectacular performance this season, marked by his lead in home runs (31) in the Pacific circuit. In that sense, Miranda said in the press conference where he was introduced: "I have heard many good things about this club and its fans and also about my friend Michel Abreu, so hopefully we can play together ... and drive in many runs" During his tenure in Cuban baseball, Juan Miguel participated in four National Series, accumulating not insignificant offensive numbers. He played 367 games and his average was .301, with 70 doubles and 57 homers. In addition he had a slugging percentage of 538 and an on-base percentage (OBP) of 424. Defensively he performed in most cases as outfielder because of the presence in...

In this century none Cuban player has been awarded the Golden Glove at MLB. This season i s perfect to put an end to that drought. Among shortstops nominated by the American League was Havana’s Yunel Escobar, and his statistics with Tampa Bay showed him as favorite of many to win the prize. The award ceremony , held on Monday, left us with the desire and even some found it an injustice. The managers and coaches of the thirty teams of the circuit, who were in charge of making the selection, showed preference for the Orioles' shortstop J. J. Hardy. The Phantom of the occasion, when, for the vast majority of Cubans Alexei Ramirez was harmed before the Yankees mega star Derek Jeter, began to haunt again. In my case, since the decision may be logically mediated by Yunel´s condition of countryman, I rather let the statistics to speak. Even the new dimensions they have achieved today become a handicap when making comparisons between two players. Anyway, here I offer you some of the stats achieved ​​by the Cuban and Hardy. Those who wish to know more novel statistics can click the names of both players on the site: www.baseballreference.com...

Just a few hours remain to the start of the 53 National Baseball Series and logically the news regarding it follows one after another. This Thursday, the Strike Zone blog revealed new designs of the logos for 10 teams that will see action from November 3. The announced changes are part of a valid attempt to improve the image of the uniforms the players will wear this season. At last... many of us would say, especially to know that we will not deal with dark pants and crazy and disjointed color combinations, in relation to the minimum requirements to enjoy quality television broadcasts. Thus, the sets will look gray pants and one color jerseys when they are on the road, while, acting as a home club, they will wear full white. Back to the emblems and in my modest appreciation, Pinar and Santiago did not have significant changes in their proposals. In the case of the eastern team they incorporate a stinger at the end of the letter S that identifies them. Apparently those responsible for the overall design of Artemisa decided not to get very complicated, and presented a fairly simple logo, which currently does not reveal any association...

Osleni Guerrero became this Sunday individual champion of the 28th Pan-American Badminton Championship, held at the Sports Palace in the Olympic Center in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. For the first time a Cuban athlete takes the continental title in this discipline. Via Facebook he told OnCuba: “To me this has been a special victory, since I had the chance to participate in two previous finals and I didn’t get to the top… it was actually a debt with myself”. During the match for the title he stood up against US Sattawat Pongnairat, number one in the regional ranking; a match that turned into a regional classic in which Osleni was always successful. During this season he had been defeated in the Sao Paulo Open semifinals, where he reached the second place. On this occasion, the victory was spectacularly marked. After falling in the opening set (17-21), he stood strong and at a crazy speed won over the remaining sets (21-6) (21-10), and added 5000 points to his score, which should assure him a few steps up in the international list. According to the website of the event, on October 24th, he was in the 86 th position. On his way to...

A few days ago we discussed the excellent performance by Yoandy Leal and Oreol Camejo, in the recently ended Men´s Volleyball Club World Championship. Undoubtedly, that is good news for Cuban volleyball followers. Today we have another surprise, but in the women’s division: one of our spectacular players, Kenia Carcasés seduced the audience with her indisputable high quality performance. Six teams met at Zurich (Switzerland) to celebrate the seventh edition of the Women’s Volleyball Club World Championship, from October 9-13. Present at the match were the current champions from FIVB regional confederations: Vakifbank Istanbul (Turkey) from Europe; Guangdong Evergrande (China) from Asia; the four-time African winner Kenya Prisons (Kenya); Unilever Volei (Brazil) e Iowa Ice (EUA), from South America and NORCECA respectively. The last ticket was for the local club Volero Zurich, where Kenia has a membership, and where she had the opportunity to display her talent and keep Cuban volleyball present at the event. She did her best. Her statistics assured her a position at the Dream Team of the championship as she was chosen as best attack player. Let’s take a look at her statistics. Her attack was very effective; she was the single player to record over 50 per...

The Brazilian team Cruzeiro Sada became flamboyant winner of the of the Volleyball Men's Club World Championship, held this week in the gym Divine Panties, in the Brazilian city of Betim. The final match took place last Sunday, and the locals won with a convincing 3-0 over Russian club Lokomotiv Novosibirsk. The sets were identical 25-20, enough to send the 7000 fans that packed the sports complex into frenzy. The welcome news for Cuba: the hero of Cruzeiro in the latter game was the player from Havana city Yoandy Leal, who rounded the spectacular job he had rendered during the tournament. And there's more: on the opponent team, the Lokomotiv, was another Cuban: Oreol Camejo, a key in the victory of the Russian team in the semifinals against the several time champions, the Italian Trentino. In fact, this was the first time an Italian club doesn’t win the world title. Leal was a real scourge for his rivals for the gold medal. Leader in the game with 13 points, including four aces and one block, several of these the defining moments of each set. He is overall ranked among the best in several offensive departments in the contest. According to...

The stellar Cuban first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu could have signed this Thursday with the organization of the Chicago White Sox a contract for six-year and $ 68 million. The news has been strongly socialized in several sites linked to the majors. If confirmed, we would be in presence of the highest hiring of an international free agent in history, surpassing the $ 56 million received by Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, by the Texas Rangers or an equal number of years. The Cienfuegos´ player also left behind the $ 42 million (also in 6 seasons) of his compatriot Yasiel Puig with the Dodgers. In a commentary reflected by Jesse Sanchez of mlb.com, it is noted that for the only thing missing for the realization of the agreement is the physical examination, but it also circulates in some web pages that the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros are still struggling to get the services of "Pito". Ken Rosenthal, a reporter of Fox Sports, was the first who announced, through his Twitter account, the possible happy ending of negotiations between Abreu, his representative Praver Shapiro Sports Management and the White Sox franchise . (- Ken Rosenthal (@ Ken_Rosenthal) October 18,...

Almost twelve months have passed since the Puerto Rican boxer Orlando Cruz openly declared his homosexuality. "Such audacity" had to be supported by a strong conviction of what that decision could mean for millions of people. It was a frontal assault on cultural and symbolic conceptions of a space historically inhabited by "real machos", and which was just made for them. It immediately caused a stir in professional boxing scene. The reactions seemed to be placed in both corners of the ring , completely opposite. He received the support of many people that applauded his courage and were willing to join him in this fierce battle he would face. Undoubtedly, this was to be his most significant fight and also the most extensive . There was no peace on the other side; the succession of homophobic attacks and discriminatory remarks was constant. Most of his opponents were part of this massive club of "macho, male, masculine" not willing to cede an inch of hegemony in these areas that they still retain as supposed niches of manliness, manhood and justified violence. "Women and gays have taken enough from us everywhere" – they seemed to say among their rampage. The phenomenon Cruz,...

First Act - September 11, 2013, CubaDebate echoes statements to Prensa Latina by Higinio Velez, president of the Cuban Federation of Baseball (FCB by its Spanish acronym) denying contacts with officials of Mexican professional team Cañeros of Los Monchis on possible hiring of Cuban players by that club. Higinio says: "We have not had any contact with any professional team agents" and later he added: "The inclusion of Cuban players in professional leagues is a possibility still under study ..." Public impression: It is being studied, not talked... Second act- Coincidentally, that same day the official website of Mexican baseball squad Piratas de Campeche publishes the following information: "The recruitment of Cuban international catcher Ariel Pestano ... will be essential for the young pitchers who will be playing with the Industriales de Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz Winter League." Public impression: It was studied at high speed, thanks to that, talks already began and this is the first result ... Pestano to play... Third act-September 16, new statements by Higinio and collected by Prensa Latina and CubaDebate. In this case he belies the announcement of the Piratas on the recruitment of Las Villas catcher, there is no such agreement. He adds that...

Cuban boxer Yoandris Salinas could only draw against England's Scott Quigg, in a fight held yesterday for the WBA world title in the division up to 122 pounds. Through this result, "El niño" (the kid) was unable to access the "regular" crown of this weight, still in the hands of the British fighter, who presumably will face the great champion of this weight Guillermo Rigondeaux . The bout, to twelve rounds, took place at London's spectacular O2 arena, where some 20,000 fans were all the time supporting the local boxer, who nonetheless deserved the verdict. Two of the judges voted equality to 114 but the third, Ruben Garcia, saw the Cuban to lose 113-115. Salinas was very impetuous during the initial rounds of the fight, taking the threads of it without much difficulty. But when reaching the closing rounds, he began to show physical tiredness, which limited his movements, reduced his hitting sequences and this enabled Quigg to have a better performance before his fans who did not stop to encourage him, thus ending in better shape than the Caribbean boxer. With this tie Salinas, who is part of Miami Dream Team and is trained by Osmiri Fernandez, at least...

The possible inclusion of Cuba in the upcoming Caribbean Baseball Series , to be held next year in Margarita Island, Venezuela, has been moved at novel rhythm, c omplex in its plot, and that has kept us in suspense from the very moment that Jose Joaquin Puello (president of CBPC: Spanish acronym of Caribbean Confederation of Professional Baseball) and Higinio Vélez (president of the Cuban Federation of Amateur Baseball –FCBA for its Spanish  acronym) announced in June , at a press conference in Havana’s Hotel Nacional , the desired return of Cuba to the regional competition. Just a few chapters were enough for the protagonists of the saga to find the first hurdle - expected presence or surprise? - o n their way to the happy ending . In early August, the Major League Baseball (MLB) issued a statement that assured the touch of suspense to the story. In an interesting study published at the end of that month on the Granma newspaper, journalist Aliet Arzola echoed and quoted: MLB, “... is limited to reach any agreement that integrates Cuba as league member without the authorization of the government of the United States.” He also added subsequent statements by Joel...

It has been almost twenty years and the memories of those magical nights in the Font arena remains intact. Times were hard, full of material shortages that were accompanied in many cases of deprivation of spirit. Luckily, there was the all-purpose arena, home to a team able to make us forget for a few hours the hard struggle of our daily lives. There was Capitalinos, the team leader of the Superior Basketball League, often triumphant, giving great games against relentless rivals that were eager to break this hegemony. There were those crowded bleachers enjoying a quality basketball, total dedication, love and hate. Through facebook, OnCuba is reunited with one of the protagonists of the story: Leopoldo "the Helicopter" Vasquez, the same that made us quiver whenever, from the line of 6.25, was suspended in the air with a unique elegance, and gave us one of those three-pointers that seemed to stop the ball in time for a few seconds until you only hear the faint sound of its brush with the mesh, and then total ecstasy for the fans. From his adopted city for almost fifteen years Toronto, "the helicopter" willingly agreed to talk with us. Surfing the Web in...

Dramatically the Cuban basketball girls are the brand new American champions. Last night, they took revenge for the defeat in the group stage against the Canadians, and won the important game by the score 79-71. Already in semis they had been the big surprise of the event, to leave out of the discussion of title, the favorite Brazilian team, ensuring their presence in the world championship to be held in Turkey next year. Their victories were at the Gimnasio USBI, in Xalapa, Mexico. Let’s review then the final game, which had the pleasant attraction of being broadcast live on television here on the island. The first ten minutes were an alternate domain on the board, although at the end of the first quarter the Cuban managed to have a five-point lead, 20-15. The second quarter was one of the best played by the girls in the tournament. They took pains on defense, dominated the rebounds on both ends of the floor, and guided by the exquisite driving by Oyanaisis Gelis, they developed an offensive approach that destroyed the Canadian guarding. So they went into halftime with a lead of fifteen points, 45-30, and thereby exceeded the points scored in the...

Who doubts it? It is the story of the day in sports. Today's edition of Granma newspaper gives us fairly detailed summary of how the new remuneration policy for athletes and sports specialists has been implemented in practice. Approved on Saturday during a meeting of the Council of Ministers, the design of this policy focuses on "... realize the agreements of the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, specifically aimed at improving the sport, generate revenue, search quality rigor in competition, raise wages gradually and ensure that each one may receive what it deserves according to his work (Guidelines 143, 162, 170 and 171). ". This is highlighted in the beginning of the work of the journalist Leticia Martinez for the national newspaper. A previous diagnosis, which highlighted the chaos that reigned for quite a long time on this subject, was the preliminary to the design of the new guidelines. The words of Vice Ministers Council Marino Murillo Jorge, reviewed by Granma, highlights "... the wide variety of legal rules governing the matter in the country, the absence of a unique system of basic income in Cuban pesos (CUP) covering all athletes, the uniformity in the salary of...

Both news are already socialized around the web and begin to travel on streets and homes throughout the country. One is accompanied by the usual air of mystery, the other official information. Let's start commenting the latter given the importance. When reading it there are many questions that crowd the mind because you can see only the tip of the iceberg. Anyway, that little detail is enough to foresee that this time there are significant changes in the structure and functioning of the sport on the island. The Cuban government will begin implementing a new remuneration policy for athletes, coaches and sports specialists. This was announced by the various official media echoed the Council of Ministers meeting, held this weekend. According to the newspaper Granma on your digital site, discussion and approval of the legislation was part of the discussions on updating the Cuban economic model. The details provided do not go beyond what was said in the previous paragraph. On the subject they will deepen in the coming days, the newspaper announced. Of course, the uncertainty is quieted a bit (or perhaps increased), from small strokes that begin to appear about what it will mean in practice that policy....

As excellent we can describe the debut of our basketball girls in the FIBA Americas Championship for Women, which began today in Xalapa, capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was a comfortable win over Jamaica with a 75-51 score, in the opening round of this event which awards three berths of the world championships to be held in Turkey next year. Located in group A, the Cubans also face national teams from Chile, Venezuela and Canada, in that order. The B consists of Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the hosts of the tournament. In the semifinal teams that occupy the top two positions on both keys will face each other, and only the medalists will be in September 2014 in the Ottoman nation. Let's look at the numbers of the game. After losing by the minimum the first quarter 21-22, the Cuban overwhelmed at conga steps 22-4 in the second, including a 15-0 streak. That way they went into the break with ease, winning by seventeen points, 44-27. The other half had the reggae girls reducing the lead to ten points, until ours again stepped on the gas and fulfilled the task finished without any complications....

In the coming months the Japanese professional baseball circuit will possibly count on a new Cuban samurai. This possibility was hinted by former Industriales pitcher Amauri Sanit, in an exclusive interview for the program "Voces del Deporte" on ESPN Radio Miami. In a review of the dialogue, which is contained in the digital site Cronodeportes, he said: "... going to play in Japan is now in my mind. There have been talks, I already signed with a company ... interested in take me there and maybe the paperwork will start in November. "On Japanese land is currently Matanzas´ Michel Abreu, who has had a dream season wearing the uniform of NipponHam Hokkaido Fighters.  At age 34, Sanit is living his best moment in professional baseball. A few weeks ago he was named the best pitcher of the Mexican League (LMB by its Spanish acronym); co-leader in wins with 12, he also had the second lowest ERA of the tournament (3.27), and his 103 strikeouts placed him third in that department. It was also worth saying he finished second in innings pitched (135), and showed an exquisite control, averaging just 2.1 BB per game. This was his second year in the...

Another day in which we were just one step shy of the top. However, this silver medal is also a matter of rejoicing for fans of the Cuban wrestling. Reineris Salas, the "gymnast", had a luxury return to World Cups with his second place in the-84kg division, held at the Lazlo Papp Sports Palace, in Budapest, Hungary. Between yesterday and today, we have had two podiums that have begun to undo unflattering forecasts. Prior to the event there were many skeptics, as well as the causes that went hand in hand to bring about this state of doubt. Incomplete teams were attending in both styles and among girls, the international exposure was conspicuous by its absence, and to make matters worse training bases in the face of previous tournaments were made in Europe, this time had not been part of the agenda. Those were reasons to put aside favorable predictions and better sit and wait. To the delight of all, the story Cuban wrestlers are writing on Magyar mattresses is on good track. Let's look then at what happened to that boy who once walked among pommels, rings and horizontal bars. If yesterday the also silver medalist Livan Lopez (66kg)...

As splendid we can describe Cuba's debut in the Wrestling World Championship, which opened today in Budapest, Hungary with discussions of medals in 55-66 and 96 kg of the freestyle. Our sole representative of the day, the Olympic bronze medalist (London 2012) and world (Istanbul, 2011), Livan Lopez Azcuy gave continuity to the string of great results and improved a seat on the podium to get the silver medal in the 66 kilos . At 31 years, this mighty gladiator, confirmed to be living the prime of his athletic career to the delight of all fans of the sport. On his way to the final Livan had to fight five times. In the first three he left on the road representatives of "slanted eyes". The premiere was a 4-0 over Vietnamese Anh Tuan Bui; thereupon he beat, also by points, Takahiro Inoue, and in the second round he got rid of the difficult North Korean Kang Jin Hyok, this time 5-0, ensuring his inclusion in the eight best in the division. On his way to the gold his opponent was the fifth highest ranked in the world, Mongolian Ganzorig Mandakhnaran. Result: 3-1 in the Cuban’s favor and another Asian nation...

The star catcher Ariel Pestano Valdés from Villa Clara has been hired by organization of Piratas de Campeche to play in the Veracruz Winter League. As indicated by the official website of the Mexican professional club, Pestano will play with the Industriales de Coatzacoalcos team, in what will be the first foray of a selection of the Campeche entity in that tournament, which will feature the participation of other 7 teams, and a calendar that in his regular stage has projected 62 games for each team. Statements from managers recognize that "The recruitment of the Cuban international player... considered one of the most brilliant and skillful catchers to handle the pitching staff will be a cornerstone in the young pitchers who will be playing with Coatzacoalcos..." Definitely, the arrival of Pestano reflects the strategy designed in a little over two years by the club, which seeks to restore the competitiveness of the Piratas by developing the pyramidal structure from its base and sustained by local talent. A key in this process has been the fluid exchange with the Cuban Baseball Federation, from the presence of the island coaches at various levels that make up the structure. In particular the pitching...