9 players on Cuba''s U23 baseball team defect in Mexico
Nine of the 24 players on Cubas national team at baseballs U-23 World Cup defected during the tournament in Mexico, the Cuban government confirmed.Cuban officials called the players actions vile abandonments in a note published by the web portal JIT, which is the official organ of the islands National Sports Institute.The institute did not identify the players who stayed in Mexico.The defection of nine players is one of the biggest such losses by a Cuban team playing abroad.
- Country:
- Cuba
Nine of the 24 players on Cuba's national team at baseball's U-23 World Cup defected during the tournament in Mexico, the Cuban government confirmed.
Cuban officials called the players' actions “vile abandonments” in a note published by the web portal JIT, which is the official organ of the island's National Sports Institute.
The institute did not identify the players who stayed in Mexico.
The defection of nine players is one of the biggest losses by a Cuban team playing abroad. Cuban baseball players are often recruited by scouts looking to sign them to play with major league clubs, and the strained relations between the U.S. and Cuba prevent them from a regular hiring process.
In 2018, the Caribbean nation signed an agreement with Major League Baseball on normalizing sports relations, but it was soon annulled by the Trump administration, which took a hard line against Cuba seeking to pressure the island's Communist government into making political changes.
Cuba wrapped up its part of the U23 tournament Saturday, losing to Colombia in the bronze medal game. The U23 World Cup was held in Mexico's northern state of Sonora. AP BS BS
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALSO READ
COLUMN-Ukraine 2022 the biggest nuclear crisis since Cuba 1962? Maybe too early to tell
Cuba's private sector provides elderly care - for those who can afford it
Cuba summons top US diplomat, accuses US of stoking protests
T. Armstrong Changsan appointed as India's next envoy to Cuba: MEA
Cubans in eastern city of Santiago protest blackouts and food shortages