The thirty-third Olympic Games Paris 2024 have concluded; the opening and closing ceremonies were exciting. The organization and conditions of the Olympic Village, according to reports from those who were there, are not encouraging.
In general terms, among the events that moved the sports world are the four medals, three of gold, won by the prodigious gymnast Simone Biles from the United States, the four titles of French swimmer Léon Marchand, the incredible sixth title of northern basketball player Diana Taurasi, the double victory of the American basketball teams, Spain's victory in soccer; the Olympic record of 48 seconds and 17 hundredths set by Marileidi Paulino, a disciple of the Cuban Yansen Pérez, marking the first gold medal for Dominican women's athletics at summer events, and of course, three Cubans on the triple jump podium and the fifth gold medal for Mijaín López in the 130 kilos of Greco-Roman wrestling.
The story will describe the fact that Jordan Díaz for Spain, Pedro Pablo Pichardo for Portugal (Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion), and Andy Díaz for Italy fought tirelessly for a title for a flag that is not theirs; all three are products of the Cuban triple jump school who set out in search of a better future that, without a doubt, they have achieved.
As for Mijaín, what can I say! Some are determined to tarnish his greatness, and believe me, there is no politics that can do so. Amidst the mediocrity in results for Cuba in these Games, placing 32nd with just nine medals, the fifth title of this legend has shone a light on a people that fades day by day.
I shared with Mijaín his two first successes under the five rings in addition to the Pan American Games and training, and when the time for goodbye is already a reality, I only wish that this always smiling young man receives what he deserves: a comfortable, happy, loving life.
The "Niño," who arrived very young at the national team, could become a great coach if he wishes, although perhaps he doesn't have the clay to mold because at the rate we're going, sports in Cuba will become a chimera; a nation that will showcase the geniuses that always emerge, in any era, as were Fonst, Kid Chocolate, Capablanca, Sotomayor, Barrientos, Iván Pedroso, Teófilo Stevenson… ¡Mijaín López!
That much-touted pyramid of high performance, so effective for years, special areas, pre EIDES, EIDES, ESPAS, Centers of High Performance… poof! Erased from the Cuban sports horizon.
That strong movement of volunteer activists, sustained by the money from the then socialist camp, which throughout the Island worked hard to find talents that were polished by those men and women from the grassroots and arrived prepared for high performance... That! That does not exist anymore.
I remember during my usual travels through the provinces in pursuit of the baseball playoffs, matches of the Superior Basketball League, Moncada gymnastics tournaments, how along the road there were well-kept baseball and soccer fields, improvised basketball and volleyball courts, makeshift judo and wrestling mats, simple but useful rings for practicing boxing… Now there’s nothing! If there’s no food, what are mom and dad going to be thinking about having an athlete at home!
That and no other is the harsh reality. But, in addition, those geniuses who are always going to make it, what do they have when they manage to join a national team, what food, what medications, what attention to their families, what logistical support so that they don't have to travel on now non-existent buses?
THAT IS THE REALITY... NOTHING ELSE!
Place 32? By car, as if we were in Bayamo… Two titles?
One is longed for; the other is the last of the boxers who qualified, the electrifying Erislandy Álvarez, please!
How long will the ineffective verbiage used in these cases attempt to erase the harsh reality?
No one can imagine the pain it causes me that my athletes (who are and will always be) live in terrible conditions. That’s why, to those who fought to attend Paris and couldn't; to those who went and couldn't be finalists or, if they did succeed, to those who made it to the podium…
To my beloved athletics and judo, which this time did not reach their former heights… Thank you for your colossal effort!
Thanks to Idalys, to Arlenys, to Pupo, to the Cruz, to Arlen who this time couldn't; thanks to the taekwondo athletes, to the female and male wrestlers (the wrestling has become the emblem of a sports ship that has slowly been sinking), thanks to those young figures who, like Cooper, can achieve a lot if they receive the proper attention; thanks to that immense beach volleyball pair, Alayo-Díaz, who sold their defeat dearly against the duo that would later be crowned champions in Paris, the Swedes Alman-Helving.
And of course, my congratulations to the dozens of Cuban athletes and coaches who have achieved success in other places, even though most of them see their flag and hear their anthem.
Olympic Games won by the United States with China close behind; games that bid farewell with historic moments, epic events, and emblematic figures, among which without a doubt is the heroic man, the great Mijaín López.
What do you think?
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