MIAMI.- “One Team, One Dream” (“One Team, One Dream”), that is the motto of the Cuban team that is preparing in Florida to play the Intercontinental Series in Colombia, which is enthusiastic about representing Cuba, although the Colombian government does not recognize them as the team. national of the island.
The Ministry of Sports and the Colombian Olympic Committee spoke out in rejection of the legitimacy of the FEPCUBE (Cuban Professional Baseball Federation). However, the team that practices at Miami Dade College continued with its course.
According to a note published in the official website of the Colombian ministryboth the government and the COC only recognize the existence of the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation.
Manager, president of the Federation and some players indicated that they can only respond to what is in their control. Today everyone continues training, focused on the competition to represent Cuba with or without anthem, with or without flag, to go win the tournament as a gift to the Cubans.
“Look, 90% of us here, since we made the decision to come play Major League baseball, we have been dealing with a lot of negative things and we have achieved almost everything. A lot of negative things like this are going to happen, “But we are not worried about that. We have one goal, which is to go, win a baseball game and win the championship,” Yunel Escobar said in training this Wednesday.
“Many more things are going to come, I tell you from the bottom of my heart. We have a goal and that is how bad things work, but we are not interested in any of that. We do not have to sing the anthem to feel Cuban. We are all Cubans and what we carry , we carry it inside,” he added.
The Cuban team, of which Orlando “El Duque” Hernández is the general manager and Bryan Peña the manager, included major leaguers Aroldis Champan, Yuliesky Gurriel, Jorge Soler and Lourdes Gurriel Jr, among others.
“It was a surprise because I am finding out here what is happening, if we do not have to sing the national anthem, if we do not have to use the flag, I think there is no problem. We have the flag in our hearts,” he continued. the strategist “This is a team from the CUBAN EXILE, we do not need a flag or a national anthem.
Full statement from the Ministry of Sports of Colombia
Prensa Mindeporte
Bogotá, January 9, 2024. The Ministry of Sports as the highest body of Colombian Sports, provided by Law 181 of 1995 and Decree Law 1228 of 1995; and The Colombian Olympic Committee (COC), as the highest governing body of the associated sport, allows itself to inform public opinion of the following:
The Intercontinental Professional Baseball Series, organized in the City of Barranquilla starting January 26, 2024, by Team Rentería USA, is a private and invitational event. That is to say, it is not organized by the Colombian Baseball Federation, nor is it part of the calendar events of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation, the only organization endorsed by the International Olympic Committee.
Likewise, we would like to inform you that a proposal was presented by the organizers of the Team Rentería USA event to the Ministry of Sports for its financing, which was not made viable, highlighting that the co-financing projects must be presented by the national sports federations, which did not happen on this occasion.
Therefore, we inform that this event does not have, to date, funding from resources from the Ministry of Sports, nor with the endorsement of the COC, nor from the Colombian Baseball Federation, reiterating that, to carry out this event, The requirements established in current Colombian sports legislation must be met.
In addition to the above, the Ministry of Sports rejects the actions and demonstrations of the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation -FEPCUBE-, which intends to use the name, representation and national symbols of the Republic of Cuba, without the respective authorization of the competent body. from the country of origin and without having the recognition of the Colombian government or the sports authorities of our country.
The use of these symbols would be interpreted as a clear infringement of the constitutional and sporting rights of the Republic of Cuba.
Consequently, the Colombian government, represented by the Ministry of Sports, as well as the Colombian Olympic Committee exclusively and legitimately recognize the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation.
