Baseball
The Cuban Baseball Federation is still analyzing the proposal to take part with its national team against the Independent League of Canada, in contrast to recently published reports that claimed the agreement with the Canadian championship was already set.
José Antonio Castillo, head of the current National Series, told reporters that the results achieved in the Premier 12 will force to reset strategy toward the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
However, Castillo ratified the series of friendly challenges between 4 sets of classic Cuban teams at the University of Pennsylvania whose schedule includes the following duels: Nov. 22nd vs. Industriales; Nov. 25th vs. Ciego de Ávila; Nov. 27th, vs. Mayabeque, ; and Nov. 28th, vs Matanzas.
As for the 55th of the Cuban Classic, Castillo said that on December 9th will be the selection of reinforcements, and confirmed that the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium in Las Tunas will host the All-Star Game on December 12th (tests of skills and confrontation of veterans) while the Home Run Derby will be held on the 13th. The Occidentales team will be led by Javier Méndez, while Roger Machado will guide the Orientales.
Finally, it was confirmed that the 2nd phase of the 55 National Baseball Series will start on December 15th, with few interruptions by the end of the year and the preparation of the current monarch Ciego de Avila to face the Caribbean Series, designated for the Dominican Republic beginning on February 1st next year. The post-season will start on March 6th .
Badminton
In just 31 minutes, the Cuban Osleni Guerrero secured on Wednesday his 1st victory in the 9th International Badminton Tournament of Suriname, beating in 2 sets (21-9 and 21-15) Mexican Arturo Hernández.
Osleni, 2nd place in the ranking of America and, 61st in the world list, will rival for 1st time with the Hungarian Gergely Krausz, ranked 243 of the world.
After this tournament, the capital's athlete plans to participate in the Grand Prix of Brazil, an event of greater rivalry.
So far, Osleni is among the candidates likely to attend Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Weight lifting
10 athletes will represent Cuba at the World Weightlifting Championship to be held between the 21st and 28th of November in Houston, Texas, a Rio de Janeiro'16 qualifier.
The male group is headed by the world medalists Yoelmis Hernández (85) in addition to Adriel La O and Yordanis Espinoza in 77 kg, Alejandro Cisneros (105), Yadier Núñez 85, Victor Quiñones 94 and Asnier Rodríguez (105).
The event will bring together 737 contestants, including 314 women, and the novelty is the presence, for the first time, of 3 Cubans: Marina Rodríguez (63), Pan-American runner-up in Toronto'15, Niulys González 53 and Sahily Valdespino (58).
The aim will be to achieve the most points, which will be averaged with the world tournament last Season in Kazakhstan, when Cuba with only 3 athletes racked up 23 points, and that is the main criterion for granting seats to Rio de Janeiro '16.
Women U-17 Football
The Cuban women's football team, U-17, lost 2-1 to Jamaica, on the 3rd day of Group A in the final of the Caribbean Union based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
After this result, both teams advanced to the semifinals, where Jamaica finished 1st of the group with 7 points, while Cuba was the 2nd with 2 wins and 1 loss, and 6 points.
The event brings together 8 teams divided into 2 groups, whose Group B covers Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Barbados and Dominican Republic.
The two sets to discuss the title advance to the final of the CONCACAF, based in Grenada, where 8 teams will compete in search of 3 tickets for the World Championship category, to be held in Jordan next year.
