The event, inspired by the Ernest Hemingway International Marlin Fishing Tournament of Havana, promotes sports and cultural exchange between the two countries.

Cuban Ambassador to Japan Miguel Angel Ramirez; the president and vice president of the Japan-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship League, Keiji Furuya and Minoru Kiuchi, respectively, and local authorities, attended the inauguration of the event.

The Cuban ambassador expressed his wish that the Hamanako-Cuba Hemingway Cup becomes an important reference at regional and international levels.

“We thank the mayor’s offices of Hamamatsu and Kosai, the SBS Group and the NGO SeaNet Hamamatsu for their decisive support for the holding of this important project,” Ramirez stressed.

During the first day of the event, the sports fishing-loving public also enjoyed the performance of the traditional Cuban music band Trio Habana, along with other artists.

The event will conclude on Sunday with the awarding ceremony of the marlin-fishing tournament, which is dedicated to the world-famous US writer, who is the author of the novel The Old Man and the Sea.

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