The Cuban triple jumper Andy Hechavarría, recently arrived in Cuba from the Paris Olympics, has had an intense return to the island after a post, allegedly by him, went viral putting up for sale the cell phone that was gifted to all athletes at the Olympic event.
In an announcement posted in the Facebook group Teléfonos Habana, Hechavarría promoted the sale of the exclusive Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 limited edition for 900 dollars.
"For sale, new in its box, limited edition. At a good price (900 USD). It's the one from the Olympic Games," read the post from the athlete from Holguín.
The announcement did not go unnoticed and quickly generated multiple reactions among users, some of whom questioned their decision, while others understood their need to obtain additional income due to the critical situation in Cuba, which high-performance athletes are also facing.
Hours later, amid the wave of reactions - and who knows if prompted by governmental instances - Andy Hechavarría denied in the comments section of the announcement that the publication was his.
"Today I woke up and see that since early this morning there are several accounts posting whether I sold or am selling the phone I received for participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. I want to tell you that all of this is pure falsehood, none of that is true. I have my phone with me," wrote the triplist in a comment that no longer appears on the network because the original post was deleted.
According to the athlete, he was a victim of a sort of hacking by an acquaintance.
"What happened was that I sent photos from my phone to a neighbor because I wanted him to see them, and he had the audacity to publish them as if they were mine. He posted my picture and everything. That means he got into my profile to steal my photos and information, because none of those posts show up on my current account. I found out about this from friends who called and wrote to me, sending me screenshots. But, anyway, to conclude, I tell you not to believe any of that, it’s all a hoax," the triplest said, in a spectacular backflip.
Although the sale announcement in the Facebook group Teléfonos Habana was deleted, and now the typical "content not available" message appears, as of the closing of this note, the announcement is still published in the Facebook group Ventas de Iphone y Androide Holguín.
"Is it Andy Hechavarría who made the post or the neighbor hacker?" is the question.
By the way, in both this case and the previous one -which has already been deleted- the ad refers to a Facebook profile that seems to belong to the athlete.
Hechavarría participated in the qualifying round of the triple jump at the Olympics, but his best jump was 16.70 meters and it did not allow him to advance to the final.
Amid the wave of comments generated by the phone incident in recent hours, the official profile Habana Noticias has come out in defense of the athlete.
"Regarding the comments made on social media by users unfamiliar with the topic and by haters looking for any excuse to attack Cuba, this time concerning the sale of the cellphone of triple jumper Andy Hechavarría and other Cuban athletes who have sold their medals to address financial issues or others, we want to remind you that this practice is carried out by athletes from all over the world, including in the United States," wrote the official source, which listed four cases of American athletes who have put their medals up for sale.
The cited cases were Mark Wells (hockey); Vin Baker (basketball); Jerry Lucas (basketball); and Tommie Smith (athletics).
Habana Noticias would have had even an easier time defending the triple jumper by arguing that Andy Hechavarría is not the only athlete in the world who has put the exclusive phone up for sale in recent days.
Through platforms like eBay, one can find listings that auction the mobile phone.
A post was asking for 3,200 Australian dollars for the device while others were making offers for shipping from the United States, France, Great Britain, and Belgium.
What do you think?
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