Page 286 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

284  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS
sports and outdoor

activities

After the Revolution, the government good shape, the state-run Cuba deportes
abolished professional sports (with a reprieve organization makes it possible to experience
for boxing in 2013), and invested large Cuban sports first-hand by arranging
amounts of money in physical education meetings with local athletes and the
and amateur sports, and as a result some provision of special courses.
outstandingly successful sportsmen and The varied Cuban landscape also allows
women have emerged. Baseball and boxing for a number of outdoor activities. Facilities
are by far the most popular sports, but for a wide range of water sports along the
volleyball, basketball, football and athletics coast are increasingly good, and mountain
are also widely practised. For athletes ranges and nature parks have just as much
and fitness fanatics who want to stay in to offer.

Multi-Purpose Baseball
Sports Arenas This is the national sport. It has
It is both cheap and easy to see been a passion here for over a
sport in Cuba. All the major century, and today’s teams are
stadiums have specially reserved world-class. The first baseball
seating areas for foreign visitors stadium in Havana was built
and you can usually buy tickets in 1881 and the first amateur
on the day. A new stadium, the championship was held in 1905.
Estadio Panamericano sports The official baseball season
complex, was built in the Habana varies from year to year. Games
del Este quarter of the capital for can be viewed on the Beisbol
the 1991 Pan-American Games. Cubano website. To stream the The Cuban national women’s volleyball
It is now a major venue for ath- National Series live, visit the team in action
letics. Cuba has produced some CiberCuba site.
great athletes, including high- Watching a live baseball such greats as Teófilo Stevenson
jumper Javier Sotomayor, middle- game is great fun; many families (1952–2012), the Olympic
distance runner Ana Fidelia attend and there is always a heavyweight champion, who
Quirot and long-jumper Iván good atmosphere. Games are set up his own school.
Pedroso (see p23). The centre played in the Estadio Latino- At the annual Girardo
also has pools for swimming americano, inaugurated in Córdova Cardín tournament,
competitions, water polo and 1946, which has a seating expert boxers fight against
synchronized swimming, tennis capacity of 55,000. emerging ones; this is part of
courts and a velodrome. the selection procedure for the
The Sala Polivalente Ramón Equipo Cuba, one of the best
Fonst in Vedado specializes Boxing boxing teams in the world.
in volleyball and basketball, Cuba has won several Olympic Fights can be seen at the Sala
while the Coliseo de la Ciudad boxing titles. The founder of Kid Chocolate, located opposite
Deportiva in the Boyeros district the modern school of boxing the Capitolio in Centro Habana.
hosts national and international is Alcides Sagarra, a trainer who
volleyball, basketball, boxing has been active in the pro-
and fencing matches. fession since 1960, producing Volleyball
Cubans are passionate about
volleyball and the island has
performed extremely well in
international competitions,
particularly in the women’s
category. Between 1990 and
2000, the Cuba women’s
national volleyball won gold
medals in three Olympic Games,
three World Cups and two
World Championships. The
men’s team won the World
Grand Champions cup in 2001.
Cuba’s national baseball team during a game Visitors can sometimes get

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