Less than a year ago, following the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, a very powerful question was raised in the Sports universe: What goals could Cuba bring, a few months later, to the most demanding Olympic Games in Paris 2024?
The festival of the five rings in the City of Light will be soon: from July 26 to August 11.
Let’s remember: before that tough commitment in the Chilean capital, which took place from October 20 to November 5, the authorities in this sphere in our country, unlike other times, tried to be very objective and not create false expectations, recognizing there would be a decline.
Then they predicted 18 to 22 gold medals, 8 to 12 silver medals, 36 to 40 bronze medals. And with this we place ourselves from fifth to seventh place (rather sixth or seventh). Which does not mean, which is very human, that they have been left with some other possible medals kept under the imaginary hat.
In the end the results were above what was predicted: 30-22-17=69, and fifth place.
In the previous Pan American Games, those in Lima 2019, we achieved 33 gold, 28 silver and 39 bronze = 100 in total, a balance that moved us further away from the traditional historical second place, since we dropped to sixth.
The forecasts for Santiago 2023 were made, as they should be, with their feet on the ground.
And a logical decrease in our sport was taken into account due to several factors, among them with great force the effects of the inhumane United States blockade of Cuba, the economic situation, and also, as a result of all this, important desertions even from even Olympic champions.
TWO EXPERTS
So, as we already wrote at the beginning, and we feel we should repeat here, a very powerful question was raised in the sports universe: What goals could Cuba bring, a few months later, to the most demanding Olympic Games in Paris 2024?
Let’s remember what was said by two very specialized voices, one given a few months ago, and another a few days ago.
“We do not give up on continuing to be an Olympic power,” M. Sc. José Antonio Miranda, general director of high performance of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder), had reiterated on February 20 on the Mesa Redonda television program. ).
A little further here, in a visit by 32 French brothers to Havana, members of the Cuba-France collaboration association (Cuba-Coop), mayors and vice mayors of different regions of that nation, the topic of that triggered question came up again in a detailed meeting in the auditorium of the Ciudad Deportiva Coliseum, now in the voice of another important manager.
“Cuba aspires to remain among the top 20 countries, something very significant for world sport,” said Ariel Sainz, vice president of Inder, leaning on what was reflected in a PowerPoint on a wall.
(An obligatory parenthesis: Cuba-Coop has played, for many years, a very important role in different spheres, such as culture, sports, health, or the environment. And in confronting and denouncing the criminal blockade of the United States government against Cuba It has previously provided, and will continue to ratify, important preparation bases on French soil for our athletes in their preparation for Paris 2024).
BETWEEN THE CLOTHES
Saínz mentioned the sports in Cuba must have greater chances of ascending to the very difficult podiums: athletics, boxing, canoeing, judo, wrestling and shooting, and he did not fail to mention a very striking point:
“Mijaín López will go for his fifth gold medal in the Olympic Games, something that is also very significant for world sport,” he added.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, held in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, Cuba achieved an admirable 14th place by country. All this among more than 200 nations. It was a superior performance, despite the very difficult conditions of recent years, than those of Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. The harvest collected in the Japanese capital resulted in seven gold, three silver and five bronze (total of 15).
And how was 20th place occupied in the last three Olympic Games? Let’s go… London 2012: South Africa (4-1-1=6). Rio 2016: Canada (4-3-15=22). Tokyo 2020: Norway (4-2-2=8), always depending on the site olympics.com.
It has also been said that Cuba aspires to at least five gold medals. A figure like this, as the reader noted, ensured a place in the Top 20 in the last three Olympic Games. Yes, we have to wait…
