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He has been identified as a boxer, but he could also have been a veteran musician, a distinguished retired professor, an illustrious actor, a doctor, a builder who spent his life among concrete and bricks… The situation of the elderly in Cuba, those who gave everything to the “revolution” that promised them a better country, is often disheartening.
A post by communicator Yosmany Mayeta reported that former Cuban boxer Gaspar Casamayor Álvarez, known as “Gloria Deportiva” according to a card he carries and testimonies from those who knew him, is currently living in precarious conditions and begging for money on the streets of Santiago de Cuba.
On the credential of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) that the elderly man shows, Casamayor is recognized as an active boxer between 1960 and 1970. However, his current reality contrasts sharply with that recognition, and it seems that he only boxes day by day against hunger and misery.
The former athlete can be seen walking the streets of the city in worn clothing, begging for money to feed himself, notes the independent journalist, who asserts that the man is "surviving" far from the sports arenas and the official tributes that typically accompany the careers of distinguished athletes.
According to sources cited in the publication, Casamayor had previously received only one home as recognition for his career, but he is currently living in near abandonment and is forced to go out onto the street to meet his basic needs.
The report sparked numerous reactions and comments among internet users. Most expressed sadness over the situation of the former boxer and recalled his sports career. “He was my coworker, a good man; that country has always forgotten the glories of sports,” wrote a user identified as Chichi Santa Cilia.
Other commentators claimed to know the former athlete and confirmed having seen him in public. "I know him; it's true that he's out on the streets, the poor man," remarked Arside Gamboa, while someone else asserted that they have at times given him money or bought him medicine.
Some people noted that the elderly man is often seen consuming alcohol in establishments around the eastern city, a vice that has now turned into a condition which, according to their opinions, might be linked to personal or family issues, or a lack of institutional support.
Opinions also emerged that broadened the perspective beyond the individual case and questioned the treatment received by athletes and other retired "glories" in the country, of which "the memories have already been forgotten."
It is sad to see those people who gave their lives and how much the country benefited from their sacrifice end up like this, commented one forum user, while others pointed to the ruling regime in Cuba for almost seven decades as responsible for "grinding down" so many human beings, squeezing them until the last drop and then abandoning them like waste.
"Today, Gaspar Casamayor Álvarez is not in a ring or at a sporting event. He is on the street. And his story raises an uncomfortable question: What happens to 'sports heroes' when the lights of the stadium go out?" concludes Mayeta's publication.
The deep structural crisis affecting the country, whose effects are felt not only by the elderly and vulnerable individuals but also by the general population, has increased begging in most cities. The government not only fails to present viable solutions but doesn’t even acknowledge the rampant advance of poverty.
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