Cuban Ambassador to this nation, Jorge Luis Cepero, stressed in the event held on Wednesday that the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)’s recognition of Despaigne, announced on May 19, “is also a reflection of the greatness of the Cuban sports movement.”

Cepero stated that Cuba, a small Caribbean island without the resources of the major economic powers, achieved a mass sports movement, along with a system for selecting and monitoring the development of high-performance athletes, which fostered extraordinary victories in multiple sports disciplines.

The ambassador emphasized that this titanic feat “had as its principal architect Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz,” who “not only opened sports initiation schools and stadiums, but also instilled in each athlete the conviction that they compete for the Homeland, for the honor and dignity of a people.”

Cepero emphasized, “The Cuban sport has had to compete and win under the stifling and unjust blockade imposed by the United States, now much more tightened, with an oil siege and threats of military aggression.”

Other members of the Cuban diplomatic mission, representatives of the solidarity movement with Cuba, and members of associations of Cuban residents in this European country, including the distinguished athlete, also participated in the ceremony.

abo/iff/npg/ort