Havana, February 28 (RHC) – The Cuban national baseball team will attend the sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic, the island’s Federation confirmed today.
In a statement, the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation emphasized that Cuba will exercise its right to participate in the tournament, in accordance with the efforts that supported the preparation, the dedication of the players and the team as a whole, and the commitment made to the organizers.
At the same time, the Federation reiterated the discriminatory, politicized, and unethical nature of the decision to deny visas to eight members of the national delegation.
On this point, the Federation reaffirmed its presence in an event it has participated in since its inception in 2006, and that despite other difficulties also related to U.S. policies, the will to compete and do so with dignity prevailed.
The Federation specified that each of the arbitrarily excluded members of the delegation had to fulfill duties established by the organizers for all participating countries, duties now redistributed among the few officials available, including members of the technical staff, which places the team at a clear operational and competitive disadvantage.
Cuba departed Nicaragua for Arizona to conclude its preparations with two games against the Kansas City Royals (March 3) and the Cincinnati Reds (March 4).
Runners-up in the historic 2006 edition, the Cuban team is in Group A and will play its games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The team, coached by Germán Mesa, will debut against Panama on March 6, play Colombia on March 8, face Puerto Rico the following week, and close out the group stage against Canada on March 11.
