The Intercontinental Baseball Series, scheduled to be held in the Colombian city of Barranquilla starting January 26 and in which a team from the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation (FEPCUBE)was cancelled, as reported this Tuesday by Team Rentería USA, organizer and promoter of the sporting event.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Team Renteria USA -owned by former major league player Édgar Rentería and his brother Edinson- indicated that the cancellation was for “reasons beyond the control” of the organization.
“The leagues, teams and entities involved have expressed their full willingness for the Series to take place, however, The Ministry of Sports together with the Olympic Committee issued a statement expressing that it was not possible to grant endorsement for the holding of the tournament, in addition to the non-recognition of the FEPCUBE team.which is one of the participating teams,” the document detailed.
Furthermore, the Team Renteria USA He assured that they will work “hand in hand with the affiliated leagues to carry out the Series in another country.”
Finally, he stated that his commitment is to “organize, promote and market events that contribute to the growth of baseball.”
Shortly after the news was announced, FEPCUBE reacted on its social networks with another statement in which it assured that “the primary reason for this cancellation was to avoid the presence of the (Cuban) team” at the event.
“This is a decision that offends and mocks democracy and freedom, which also comes from a totalitarian regime that systematically represses its citizens”said FEBCUBE.
The team also denounced that “the despotism of the Colombian and Cuban governments breaks with the precepts of free sport and is a direct attack on democracy.”
Last week the Colombian government, an ally of the Cuban regime since the arrival of Gustavo Petro to power, was against the presence of the FEPCUBE team in the Intercontinental Baseball Series.
The authorities of that country made it clear in a statement that the use of Cuban national symbols by the FEPCUBE team “would be interpreted as a clear infringement of the constitutional and sporting rights of the Republic of Cuba.”
After that, Edison Renteria announced that the FEPCUBE players would not use the Cuban anthem or flag. Added to this is the fact that the team of Cuban players, who Initially it would be called “Patria y Vida”also chose to change his name to Dream Team.
However, despite such concessions, the event has ended up being cancelled.
Sports journalist Francys Romero was confident that the Cuban team will have the opportunity to participate in various tournaments and exhibition games in the future.
“It was evident that it was dangerous to sign up for a tournament in a country like Colombia that acceded to pressure from the dictatorial Cuban government”he said on Twitter.
“In these training sessions, what impressed me most was the human side of this project helping players without teams, looking for signatures or trying to advance within baseball,” Romero concluded.
The Intercontinental Series would take place from January 26 to February 1, 2024 in a round-robin format and with teams from Colombia, Curacao, South Korea, the United States, Japan and a team made up of Cuban players.
It was planned that the Dream Team – made up of players born on the island and descendants of Cubans who have trained or live in the United States – will debut in the competition against Japan on January 26.
However, the Dream Team A first exhibition game was planned to be held this Wednesday, January 17 against the Miami Dade College team.
