Sporting Corner
It seems as if Cuba's dominance in Olympic boxing may be coming to an end.
According to this Reuters report, a string of defections by champion boxers could mean that Cuba will be unable to win as many gold medals in Beijing this month as it won at the last Olympic Games in Athens four years ago.
Back then, Cuban boxers won five of the 11 gold medals up for grabs - not bad for a country of barely 11 million.
The report says that since Athens, three champion boxers have defected, others have retired and another, Guillermo Rigondeaux, was dropped from the Olympic squad after attempting to defect.
What the report does not make clear is that Rigondeaux was dropped on direct orders from Fidel Castro, who described the boxer as a "traitor" and ordered that he never be allowed to represent his homeland again.
According to this Reuters report, a string of defections by champion boxers could mean that Cuba will be unable to win as many gold medals in Beijing this month as it won at the last Olympic Games in Athens four years ago.
Back then, Cuban boxers won five of the 11 gold medals up for grabs - not bad for a country of barely 11 million.
The report says that since Athens, three champion boxers have defected, others have retired and another, Guillermo Rigondeaux, was dropped from the Olympic squad after attempting to defect.
What the report does not make clear is that Rigondeaux was dropped on direct orders from Fidel Castro, who described the boxer as a "traitor" and ordered that he never be allowed to represent his homeland again.
posted by Luis M Garcia at 5:39 pm
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