Players on the Cuban field hockey team at the Pan American Games on October 26. Carlos Ortega (EFE)
Six Cuban field hockey players and an athlete of the same nationality left the Cuban delegation in the Pan American Village, where the athletes were staying during the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile and whose whereabouts are unknown as of Monday evening. Gabriel Boric’s government has reported that so far no one has presented any commitment to settle in the country and that they have a visa for 90 days, which can be extended for another 90 days. “There is always concern in these cases,” said La Moneda spokeswoman Camila Vallejo, a communist activist. According to local media reports, the hypothesis discussed in Chile, although not yet officially confirmed, points to desertion. This happens quite often to the island’s athletes when they leave Cuba to compete.
The Investigative Police (PDI) clarified that the athletes’ visa – which only applies to the six women – will remain valid until November 12, according to a statement from the Santiago 2023 Corporation, obtained from the National Sports Institute (IND ) and the National Sports Institute (IND) Chilean Olympic Committee. Neither the government nor the Pan American sports organization Panam Sports have confirmed the information, as Cuba has not made it official. There is not even consensus on how many there are, as some local media only refer to the six hockey players, while others include Yoao Illas, who won the bronze medal in the hurdles.
Was Cuban sports journalist Francys Romero the first to spread the news on their social networks, which in the following hours forced the highest authorities to deal with the case. On Saturday at 8:16 p.m., the reporter published that six ice hockey players had “left” the Cuban delegation after their participation and a day before the end of the championship. “The players left concentration at midday after finishing the fifth-place match, which they lost to Uruguay (0-3),” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The baseball reporter and author of the book Histories of Cuban Baseball Emigration (1960-2018) claimed that the athletes in question were Yunia Milanes – the team captain – Jennifer Martínez, Yakira Guillén, Lismary González, Helec Carta and Geidy Morales . Romero said about 61 Cuban athletes have broken contracts or left their delegations so far this year.
Asked about this topic, Lautaro Carmona, the president of the Communist Party, which is part of the Boric government, was pleased with the fifth place of the “great power” Cuba in the medal table of the Pan American Games (30 gold, 22 silver and 22 silver medals). . 17 Bronze) and asserted that “Situations like this have been experienced before and for these athletes they mean nothing more than a fact of choice.” The others are returning, but they are the options of these athletes.” “What meaning could I use of the arguments that appear in some versions? The conditions under which they live in Cuba. And who creates these conditions if not the economic blockade?” added Carmona, alluding to the US sanctions. Renovación Nacional MP from the traditional right, Diego Schalper, assured: “What happened to the Cuban athletes could well be classified as a case of political asylum.”
Chilean Sports Minister Jaime Pizarro assured that neither the Cuban delegation nor the head of mission had provided any information in this regard. This medium attempted to communicate with both without success. “There is a possibility that they will leave the country or stay for some time as the entry permit is still valid. We have to wait for the process accordingly,” Pizarro added.
Interior Undersecretary Manuel Monsalve urged caution before describing the incident as a “leak.” “We must remember that athletes who took part in the Games have a visa that allows them to stay in Chile for 90 days. Therefore, they are in a legal situation from an immigration perspective,” he noted. Spokesman Vallejo added that any inquiries or requirements regarding the visa situation must be routed through the government-dependent National Immigration Service.
One of the most emblematic cases of these Pan American Games was that of Santiago Ford, of Cuban origin, who became a Chilean citizen at the end of last year. The athlete left the island for sporting reasons. He came fourth at the 2016 Youth World Championships in Poland and felt like no one appreciated him. In 2018, he boarded a plane to Guyana and from there made a long overland journey to Chile, a country he entered on foot through the desert. At these Games he thanked the South American country with the gold medal in the decathlon.