• In London to compete as the champion
August 9,12
LONDON.— Loud and clear, Mijaín López had announced that he was going to London to compete as the champion. And he did, successfully defending his Beijing 2008 120kg title, overcoming a series of challengers, including Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp, who had beaten him in Istanbul ’11. The two had not faced off since then.  

• Yarisley Silva: 4.75 silver medal!
August 9,12
LONDON.— It was a cold night that saw Cuban pole vaulter Yarisley Silva scrape the sky to win a silver medal, coming ever-so-close to the gold.

• ASLEY GONZÁLEZ
A silver lion
August 9,12
LONDON.—Asley González (Placetas, 1989) has won a silver medal in these Summer Games, the value of which even he cannot estimate. Thirty-two years since Moscow 1980, the Cuban men’s judo team returned to an Olympic final.

• Cámbar wins a medal for Cuba
August 9,12
LONDON.—Iván Cámbar led Cuba’s return to the podium in weight lifting, after an absence of 16 years, winning the bronze medal in the 77kg division.

• Hanser García : The Cuban people should know I put my soul into the race
August 9,12
LONDON.— Born on the Cuban national holiday October 10, 23 years ago, Hanser García had already made Olympic history, as Cuba’s first ever free style finalist, even before making his way to the Aquatic Center October 1.

• OLYMPICS SHOOTING
Leuris Pupo: perseverance rewarded
August 9,12
MODESTY, dedication and discipline, combined with technical skill resulted in Cuban marksman Leuris Pupo’s gold medal in London in the 25-meter rapid pistol event, the first gold for Cuba in London, and the country’s first in Olympic shooting.

• Idalys Ortiz wins the gold
August 9,12
LONDON.—Judoka Idalys Ortiz (78+kg) jumped for joy on winning the gold medal in her category. Twelve years after Sydney 2000, Cuban women judokas, trained by coach Ronaldo Veitía, once again have taken an Olympic gold.

• Bermoy opens the way
August 2,12
LONDON.— Cuba’s first medal in the London Summer Olympics, just like four years ago in Beijing 2008, was once again won by Yanet Bermoy, the slight judoka from Cienfuegos. Another silver, although this time in a different weight division (52 kg), in which she only ceded to North Korea’s An Kum Ae, also a runner-up in China.

• On the way to London
Cuban delegation focused on winning
July 19,12
CUBA is sending 110 athletes to the 30th Olympic Games in London, to compete in 14 sporting events. The delegation is focused on improving its performance as compared to the Beijing Games, four years ago.

• LONDON ’12
Cuba will once again respect fair play
July 19,12
CUBA is sending a delegation of athletes to the London Olympic Games who are free of illegal performance-enhancing substances which have become widespread, especially in professional sports.

• Cuba wins bronze in World Volleyball League
July 13,12
THE Cuban men’s volleyball team, playing against Bulgaria for third place in the World League, left behind two powerful images on July 8. The first was imposing themselves in the first set, winning by 25-18 after losing 4-11. The other, having lost the second and third, was to take the fourth set, thus forcing a tie break.

• BASEBALL
The team to break the Haarlem spell
July 13,12
WAITING 16 years to revive a historical rivalry was worth it. Five baseball games against the U.S. Collegiate National Team, from which much experience was gained, and the 24 players who, from July 13 (when they debut against Puerto Rico), will try to recover the title in the Haarlem baseball week, which has eluded Cuba since 1998.

• Nelson Mandela and Teófilo Stevenson
July 13,12
IN November of 1994, I had the privilege of presenting my letters of accreditation as the first ambassador of Cuba, to Nelson Mandela, President of a South Africa recently liberated from the terrible system of racial segregation known as apartheid. I was accompanied by my wife Silvia; Marcos Rodríguez, previously Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his wife Rosa María.

• VOLLEYBALL WORLD LEAGUE
Cuba battles the giants
July 5,12
IN a year in which the Cuban men’s volleyball team possibly had few opportunities of reaching the finals of the World League, the youthful squad has given its fans an excellent surprise by being included in them.

• LONDON 2012
Four weightlifters, four finalists?
June 28,12
PREDICTIONS... a favorite activity of sports fans here, excited about Cuba’s performance beginning July 27 at the London Olympics and the possibility of redeeming ourselves after finishing 28th in the Beijing medal count (2-11-11).

• LONDON ’12
Four weightlifters, four finalists?
June 28,12
CUBAN weightlifting is aspiring to place its four representatives to the London Olympics among the top eight within their respective weight divisions.

• Cuban divers lead European competition
June 21,12
MADRID has meant good luck and results for the Cuban synchronized platform diving duo José Antonio Guerra and Jeinkler Aguirre. In the Grand Prix’s fourth stop there, the two took the gold medal with 435.12 points, out-doing Mexicans Iván García and Germán Sánchez (432.24) and the Chinese favorites Chen Aisen-Jang Yian (428.10). This was almost an identical repeat of the 2010 event, when the Cuban divers scored 438.12.

• Juantorena to the Hall of Fame
June 21,12
ALBERTO Juantorena’s nomination to the World Athletics Hall of Fame is a source of great satisfaction for the Cuban sports movement. He is one of our most authentic champions.

• France wins 2012 Ernest Hemingway Tournament
June 21,12
THE French team, led by Girard Aprile, won first prize in the 62nd Ernest Hemingway International Billfish Tournament, held in Havana with the participation of fishing enthusiasts from more than a dozen countries.

• EN ROUTE TO LONDON 2012
Another Cardín: Cuban style
June 14,12
WITH the London Olympics just around the corner (July 27 through August 12), Cuban boxing had an opportunity to focus on details and continue moving ahead with its performance in the 42nd Giraldo Córdova Cardín Tournament, involving 91 boxers from 10 countries, including various Olympic classifiers, in Havana’s Ramón Fonst polyvalent.

• Sports legend Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence dies
June 14,12
ALL of Cuba was shocked at the death on Monday, June 11 of one of the greatest exponents of Cuban sport, the three-time Olympic champion and World Boxing champion Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence.

• Message of condolence from Muhammad Ali
June 14,12
"I was profoundly sad this morning to hear the news of the death of one of the great champions of boxing, Teófilo Stevenson. Although he never fought professionally, having won three gold medals in three different Olympic Games makes clear that, at his best moment, he would have been a formidable opponent for any other reigning heavyweight champion or challenger. I will always remember meeting with the great Teófilo in his native Cuba. He was one of the greats of this world, and at the same time a warm and approachable man. My condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace."
Muhammad Ali

• Sports traffickers profit from U.S. blockade of Cuba
June 8,12
SEVEN people arrested for trafficking in Cuban ballplayers; Detained for arranging departures of Cuban ballplayers; Authorities uncover criminal organization involved in human trafficking; Focus on baseball players and their families in Cuba…

• The best of Cuba’s 2011-2012 National Series
June 8,12
THE Baseball Writers’ Committee of Cuba’s sports journalists’ organization has announced its picks for All Stars, Golden Gloves and most valuable players in the 51st National Series. Twelve press media participated in the voting.

• Will Cuban athletics maintain its stature?
June 8,12
SINCE Tokyo ’64, when Enrique Figuerola won the silver medal with his 10.2- second time in the 100 meters, coming in behind Bob Hayes (10 flat), from the United States, Cuban athletics have gained strength, becoming, along with boxing, the country’s most successful disciplines.

• Leinier Domínguez: Four-time National Chess Champion
June 8,12
GRANDMASTER Leinier Domínguez (2727- from Mayabeque province) was declared Cuba’s Chess Champion for the fourth time on May 22, after defeating his perennial rival Lázaro Bruzón (2711- Las Tunas), with a score of 1,5-0,5.

• Ciego de Avila: Champions!
May 31,12
CIEGO DE AVILA.— No rodeos. No poetry. Simply, Ciego: Champions! This is the chant that fans and players could finally shout with joy, having won, for the first time, the much-coveted National Baseball Championship trophy.

• INDUSTRIALES-CIEGO DE AVILA
Cuban baseball championship to be decided
May 25,12
ALL of Cuba is living within a baseball weighing only 142 grams, with a circumference of less than 24 centimeters. The country is celebrating its most important sports event, the most coveted title, the national baseball championship. Taking center stage are the team from Ciego de Avila, a city 400 kilometers east of Havana, and Industriales, the capital’s main team.

• London ’12 Olympic flame lit at Hera’s Temple
May 17,12
THE flame which will burn during the London Olympic Games was lit at the site where the ancient Olympics were born, marking the beginning of the Olympic Torch Relay which will end July 27 at the opening ceremonies.

• London ’12
Cubans on track
May 17,12
OPPORTUNITIES remain for Olympic hopefuls to qualify for the London 2012 Summer Games, scheduled to begin July 27. The Cuban athletics team, which will send the largest group to the event - with 18 members already qualified – is hoping to add another 12 when the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) finalizes its list of participants in July, according to the point minimum established.

• Cuban baseball play-offs, a national celebration
May 10,12
ALL of Cuba is enjoying the country’s most important sports celebration. Western and Eastern Division champions for the 51st National Series are being determined as this edition goes to press, to set the stage for the finals.

• Cuba in the Olympics
May 10,12
ALTHOUGH Cuba did not attend the first Olympic Games and participated irregularly in subsequent competitions, the country burst upon the scene, winning medals especially during the last 48 years.

• Industriales: first team to qualify for semi-finals
May 4,12
April 30, Havana’s Industriales became the first to qualify for the semi-final play-offs in Cuban baseball’s National Series, defeating Cienfuegos in just five games. Having won four games, there was no need to complete the full seven game quarter final series.

• CUBAN BASEBALL NATIONAL SERIES PLAY-OFFS
Championship to be decided
April 26,12
For the second season in a row, last year's champions in Cuban baseball's National Series will not be defending their crown. After an unremarkable campaign, plagued by instability, Pinar de Río is out of running for the championship, which now will be contested by eight very evenly matched teams, making predictions difficult.

• LEINIER DOMÍNGUEZ
Finding a balance in everyday life
April 11,12
Leinier Domínguez, with 2 730 Elo points is Latin America’s best chess player, well-known among elite players around the world. He considers Cuba’s José Raúl Capablanca (World Champion 1921-27) his greatest mentor.

• Yarelis Barrios – A great among the greats
April 4,12
YARELIS Barrios has always mustered more than enough courage in the big competitive moments of her career, gaining herself a spot on the medal podium in World athletics competitions since 2007, despite not having set new personal records.

• Cuban wrestlers look to London 2012
April 4,12
CONSIDERING the current prospects for Cuba’s wrestlers, going into the London Olympics, we can confidently say that they are in a better position than they were prior to Beijing ’08, where only Mijaín López (120kg) in the Greco-Roman competition contributed to keeping the country’s string of victories going – a stretch which goes back to Barcelona ’92.

• Vuelve tope Cuba-EE.UU.
March 29,12
THE re-initiation of baseball games between Cuba and the United States, 16 years after they were suspended, is scheduled for July 5, 2012, according to a letter of understanding signed by the two countries.

• IN LONDON
Men’s judo hopes to leave its mark
March 22,12
TAKING in Olympic prospects pragmatically, it is perhaps true that there are sports and there are other sports. The difference is not arbitrary.

• PAN AMERCIAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP IN ARGENTINA
Yumari González takes a gold medal
March 15,12
MAR DE PLATA, Argentina.— Cuban Yumari González took the gold medal in the Pan American Cycling Championship’s individual road race here. Cuba’s three representatives came away with five medals among them.

• Leinier Domínguez moves up in world chess ranking
March 8,12
CUBAN Grand Master Leinier Domínguez (2730) has moved into the 20th position in the world chess ranking according to the most recent report from the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

• Raquet in hand, on to London
March 8,12
IN table tennis, players of Asian descent are considered indomitable – among the 10 best male players in the international ranking, only German veteran Timo Boll (7) and his compatriot Dimitri Ovtcharov (10) have managed to consistently defeat players from that part of the world.

• MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
Resurrecting Cuba’s chances
March 1,12
IF there is one test in Cuban athletics which demonstrates tradition, class and strength in world elites, it is the triple jump. For that reason, hopes are high that the country’s performance in this discipline will see a resurrection in the London Olympics, after its absence from the podium in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

• LONDON 2012
Illegal betting threatening Games
February 23,12
THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to continue its battle against the threat of mafia elements controlling illegal betting invading the London Games.

• Cuba’s La Cruz selected as best boxer in the Americas for 2011
February 16,12
HEAVYWEIGHT Julio César La Cruz was selected as best boxer in the Americas for 2011, according to the AIN news agency.

• LONDON ON THE HORIZON
Breaking the barrier
February 16,12
HIGH jumper Víctor Moya is training in Havana’s Pan American Stadium with other athletes on Cuba’s national team, with his sights set on the Indoor World Championship, to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, March 9-11.

• Cuban judokas dominate Arlon tournament
February 2,12
CUBA'S women's Judo team dominated the Open Tournament in Arlon, Belgium, winning four gold medals, one silver and one bronze, competing with 249 athletes from 19 countries.

• DAYRON & ANTÚNEZ
Cubans preparing to attack London hurdles
26.Enero.12
POLISHED technique, strength in attacking the hurdles and speed in the stretch characterize Cuba’s best two athletes who compete in the hurdles: Olympic champion and World record holder Dayron Robles (12.87), and 20-year-old Orlando Ortega.

• 50 YEARS AGO
A new baseball is born
19.Enero.12
CUBAN baseball wasn’t even called what we call it today: the National Series. The press of the era used the term National Amateur Baseball Tournament or simply the INDER Tournament, with four teams emerging from the regional elimination tournaments, in the six provinces existent in the country at the time.

• THE GENESIS OF CUBAN BASEBALL
Pedro Chávez: Baseball is a central part of my life
19.Enero.12
IT couldn’t be any other way for someone who devoted 60 years of his life to Cuba’s passion – baseball. Pedro Chávez González, 75 years of age, still emanates the commitment and assertiveness which defined him during his career as an active player.

• THE GENESIS OF CUBAN BASEBALL
A colossal player from the España sugar mill
19.Enero.12
AT 76 years of age, Edwin Walters’ bearing still recalls the strong physique of his youth. He is a tall man, trim, with long arms and big hands, ideal for playing baseball.

• 50 years of revolutionary baseball
January 12,12
BASEBALL is more than balls and strikes for Cubans; it represents something more: feeling, emotion, passion…

• THE GENESIS OF REVOLUTIONARY BASEBALL
Fidel instilled in us a passion for the sport - Andrés Telemaco
January 12,12
GUANTÁNAMO.— Not even his inclusion on the Cuban national team to play in the 1969 World Championship in Santo Domingo left a greater mark on Andrés Pilotaje Telemaco than January 14, 1962, the day Fidel inaugurated the first Cuban National Series in what is now the Latinoamericano Stadium, and put an end to baseball for profit in the country.

• Yarelis Barrios and the art of discus
January 5.12
CUBA’s best individual female athlete of 2011 has a special talent to make the discus soar. Those who don’t see it that way can ask her rivals in the Diamond League, the World Championship, the Olympics and any other competition in which Yarelis Barrios participates. This 28-year-old Pinar del Río native is, in my opinion, the most consistent athlete currently competing in this specialty.

• Best athletes of 2011
December 29.11
THE notable performance of the Cuban delegation at the Guadalajara Pan American Games, as well as outstanding results in world events made the selection of the country’s Best Athletes of the Year a huge problem.

• REGIONAL ATHLETICS
Cubans inducted into Hall of Fame
December 22.11
SAN JUAN.— Cubans Ioamnet Quintero, Yoel García and Aliecer Urrutia were inducted into the Central American and Caribbean Athletics Hall of Fame, December 18 in Havana, according to the regional federation.

• LORENZO PEREZ
The power of determination
December 22.11
AT times life throws us a curve ball and we are put to the test. The outcome depends on a person’s will power to struggle and overcome adversity. That is precisely what Granma native Lorenzo Pérez has been doing for the last five years and today is filled with pride having won a triple crown at the Gudalajara 4th Parapan American Games

• 100 YEARS LATER
Cuban football’s long history
December 15.11
ON December 11, Cuban football celebrated its centenary and much has been said recently about that first game played on Palatino field between Hatuey and the Rovers – the former winning with a single goal from team captain Jack Orr.

• New international competition plan for baseball
December 8.11
THE International Baseball Federation (IBAF) has announced a new system of international competitions beginning in 2012, designating the World Classic as its principal event.

• Doctor Sócrates dies
December 8.11
BRASILIA.— A moment of silence was observed in all of Brazil's soccer stadiums, accompanied by much applause, during the last day of the National Football Championship in memory of the former player and doctor Sócrates, who died during the dawn hours December 4, at 57 years of age, as a result of an intestinal infection.

• 51st National Series
A new look
December 1.11
PERHAPS never before has the word 'new' been so appropriate. Cuban Baseball's 51st National Series will see the debut of 11 new managers, one more team, an extra six games and two new measures meant to reduce the escalating dominance of the offense.

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