| DID YOU KNOW ... | | | | an Olympic tournament. The team Cuban did not |
| | | | defend its world title it had won in Rome two |
| Taismary Aguero was born and raised in Cuba | | | | years before. |
| before becoming a naturalized Italian | | | | |
| citizen. She is one of the most famous | | | | Cuba sent 120 athletes to the 1973 World |
| volleyball players in the 2000s. Under the | | | | Student Games, which were held in Moscow, |
| hands of Taismary Aguero, Cuba won the gold | | | | USSR (currently Russia).The Cuban contingent |
| medal in volleyball in the 2000 Olympic Games | | | | participated in nine Olympic sports: |
| in Australia. However, she escaped to Italy | | | | basketball, athletics, fencing, |
| in 2001 and having won a national team | | | | gymnastics,volleyball, waterpolo, diving, |
| call-up became the first naturalized | | | | tennis and wrestling. The best athlete was |
| volleyball player to score for Italy. Perhaps | | | | Alberto Juantorena, who won a gold medal in |
| her greatest triumph was captaining her new | | | | the men's 400 meters. |
| country to their first World Cup triumph in | | | | |
| Tokyo, Japan, in 2007. Ironically, Italy, led | | | | The Second Baseball World Cup was played in |
| by the amazing play of Taismary Aguero, | | | | 1939 in Cuba. Three teams took part and the |
| defeated Cuba 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-16) in | | | | hosts beat Nicaragua in the final in Havana. |
| the finals. | | | | |
| | | | In 2006, Osmany Juantorena Portuondo was the |
| Cuba did not sent a boxing team to the 1985 | | | | 18th Cuban athlete to be disqualified for |
| World Cup in Seoul, South Korea's capital. | | | | drugs. He is Alberto Juantorena's grandson. |
| Why? Because Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz did | | | | |
| not recognize South Korea as an independent | | | | The Cuban dictatorship restricts the sports |
| and sovereign country. There were many famous | | | | people's contacts with non-allies nations |
| boxers who did not go to Korea: Juan Torres | | | | (especially South Korea, Poland, Puerto Rico, |
| Odelin, Pedro Orlando Reyes, Arnaldo Mesa | | | | El Salvador, Hungary and the Czech Republic). |
| Borell, Jesus Sollet Tomasen, Adolfo Horta | | | | It allows few Cuban athletes to travel |
| Martinez, Eduardo Correa Ferrer, Candelario | | | | outside the country. |
| Duvergel Odelin, Angel Espinoza Capo, Julio | | | | |
| Quintana Martinez, Pablo Romero Hernandez and | | | | DID YOU ALSO KNOW THAT: |
| Teofilo Stevenson Lawrence. | | | | |
| | | | Like Alexandre Alekhine (France), Bobby |
| Ramon Fonst Segundo has won more Olympic gold | | | | Fischer (USA) and Garry Gasparov (Russia), |
| medals than Teofilo Stevenson (boxing), | | | | Jose Raul Capablanca y Graupera is considered |
| Alberto Juantorena Danger (track and field), | | | | by experts as one of the most important chess |
| Mireya Luis Hernandez (volleyball) and Felix | | | | players of the twentieth century. He won the |
| Savon Fabre (boxing).Who is he? Ramon Fonst | | | | title of world chess champion from 1921 to |
| was a famous fencer in the 1900s, 1920s and | | | | 1927. Where was Jose Capablanca born? He was |
| 1930s. He was born into a sports-oriented | | | | born on November 19, 1888, in Havana. |
| family in the Cuban capital of Havana on | | | | |
| August 31, 1883. His father was a sportsman | | | | The problem of illegal drug usage among Cuban |
| in the 1870s and 1880s. Like Jose Raul | | | | athletes closed the competition in the 1983 |
| Capablanca (chess) and Eligio Sardinas | | | | Pan American Games in Caracas, the capital |
| Montalvo (boxing), he was an athlete who | | | | city of Venezuela. The most notable |
| always competed with love for Cuba. Ramón | | | | disqualification was Cuban weighlifter Daniel |
| Fonst obtained 125 medals in competitions | | | | Nunez, who had won a gold medal at the 1980 |
| held in Europe, Latin America and North | | | | Olympic Games in Moscow, URSS. He was voted |
| America. In the 1900 Olympic Games in France, | | | | athlete of the year for 1982 by Prensa |
| Ramon won the gold medal in the epee event, | | | | Latina. |
| and in the 1904 Summer Olympics in the United | | | | |
| States, he won three gold medals. In 1926, he | | | | Jorge Enrico Blanco was one of the Cuba's |
| won two gold medals at the Central American | | | | best known and well-loved boxers. Why? In |
| and Caribbean Games in Mexico City. | | | | 1967, he won the Pan American lightweight |
| Certainly, Ramon Fonst is the greatest Latin | | | | title. |
| American athlete of the 20th century. | | | | |
| | | | In the Olympic Games of 1904, the Cuban |
| In the early 1990s, large number of athletes | | | | fencing team won 8 medals (3 golds, 2 silvers |
| began leaving their country because of poor | | | | and 3 bronzes). |
| economic conditions there and severe | | | | |
| treatment by the secret police. Many sought | | | | Maria Teresa Mora Iturralde was a famous |
| refuge in the United States, Spain and | | | | chess player. In 1922, she won the National |
| Canada. | | | | Chess Championship of Cuba. |
| | | | |
| Cuba sent 2 athletes to the 2003 World | | | | From 1954 to 1968, Bertha Diaz won 258 gold |
| University Games, which were held in Daegu, | | | | medals. At the Pan American Games in 1955, |
| South Korea. They were Yordanis Arencibia and | | | | she won the 60-meter sprint and qualified for |
| Yurileidys Lupetey ( judo). | | | | the 1956 Olympic Games. Unfortunately, she |
| | | | escaped from Cuba in the 1960s when it became |
| The 1987 World Junior Volleyball Championship | | | | a communist dictatorship. In 1956, she set a |
| was boycotted by Cuba. The place: South | | | | new Pan American record of 11.20 seconds in |
| Korea. For the first time since 1978, | | | | the 80-meter hurdles. |
| volleyball players from Cuba did not part in | | | | |