Cuba in Paris 2024: Neither uprooted by war, nor persecuted

In May 2024, the international press reported on the formation of the Olympic Refugee Team (EOR) for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in which two Cuban athletes were unjustifiably included.

The EOR was publicly presented as a group of young athletes “uprooted by war or persecution.”

From that moment on, in a serious and respectful manner, we have been in communication with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), so that this regrettable situation would be clarified, taking into account that the IOC directors recognize that none of these Cuban athletes are uprooted by the war or persecuted.

The decision to include Cuban athletes in the EOR was taken behind the back of the Cuban Olympic Committee and with the clear objective of attacking the image of the national sports movement, which has given so much glory to our people.

In a clear way we informed the IOC that the COC supports the idea with which the EOR was originally conceived in 2015; as well as that we had nothing against Cuban athletes, as we have nothing against many other Cuban athletes and coaches who live or develop their sports careers in other countries.

In that context, and encouraged to find a constructive solution, we officially informed the IOC of our willingness as the National Olympic Committee to allow the participation of these athletes in the Olympic Games, representing the countries where they reside, and which they have sometimes represented in international competitions.

Unfortunately, one of the two athletes now included in the EOR has made disrespectful and fallacious political statements against his country, his people and the sports movement that allowed him to be Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020.

This confirms Cuba’s concerns about the true political motivation of the inclusion of athletes of Cuban origin in the EOR, although IOC officials assured that the referred athletes would not make statements of this nature.

This is a violation of the Olympic Charter and the rules established by the IOC for all athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

In view of this reality, and taking into account that the IOC has not pronounced itself on our most recent message in this regard, the Coc is obliged to publicly report this situation and demand the immediate expulsion of the aforementioned athlete from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, according to the rules governing the International Olympic Movement.

The COC reiterates its strongest rejection to the inclusion of Cuban athletes in the EOR, as part of the political manipulation of sport.

The Cuban Sports Movement demands the IOC to fulfill its responsibilities to uphold the principles of Olympism.

Paris, July 23, 2024

With information from Granma