Sport in Cuba
The sport has a high priority in Cuba. Sports such as baseball or boxing were and still are very popular. In present days the sport is promoted by the state strong.
Situation before 1959
Since the 19th century, Cuba was one of the countries of Latin America, the great attention to modern education systems focused on physical education with special attention. The first gym in Latin America was founded in 1839 in Havana, what was the impetus for the construction of similar facilities across the country.
Among the founders of the Cuban sports movement counting also José de la C. Hernández, Rafael de Castro, Juan Gallet, Vicente A. de Castro, as well as patrons and sponsors Domingo del Monte ( president), José de la Luz y Caballero and Francisco de P. Coimbra.
During this time the sport training in Cuba had deficits in the spread in the mass, however, was by two main currents affected: on the one hand by the young university students who established the baseball from North America, the other by the European flow, which sports such as fencing or gymnastics brought into the country.
At the end of the 19th century, gymnastics was introduced as a compulsory subject in secondary schools.
With the start of the new (20th) century physical education was in both the rural and urban public schools compulsory subject. 1902 agreed to this for the primary schools of the whole country, but this remained until 1935, with virtually no public scrutiny.
In 1928 the National Sports Institute was established, where the first sports teachers were trained. 1932 this institute was closed again and reopened in 1948. In order to check the quality of physical education in schools, 1935, the National Commission for Sport was created, which did not alter the lack of training of teachers and the lack of physical equipment. In addition, there were no schools in many locations in order to perform a physical education.
In secondary schools there was a similar situation where many teachers did not have the necessary knowledge to teach such a subject. In addition, the students had to pay two pesos per semester in order to enroll in this subject. Since this money was not used for appropriate sports equipment and clothing, it was practically impossible to accelerate the development in this field.
However, the situation at the universities was different, but with similar results. There was no physical education teacher, but contracts on a monthly basis with coaches of a specific sport that mostly came from the U.S. and looked to their essential role in the search for talent for competitive sports.
In general, the situation of physical education was characterized by the absence of a functioning national system of control and promotion at all school levels. The focus was on the professional sport and not in the grassroots.
After the Revolution
Immediately after the Cuban Revolution, the victorious ended on 1 January 1959, there were in Cuba about 800 physical education teachers, a number that declined due to the subsequent emigration of many professionals in the direction of the United States even further. Numerous measures have been taken due to this situation by the new government to improve the situation. These included, among others:
- Establishment of the Instituto Nacional de Deportes Educación Física y Recreación ( INDIANS - National Institute of Physical Culture, Sport and Recreation ) on February 23, 1961 The Institute serves as a principal body for the planning, management, and execution of sporting events in all parts of the island as well as international. range.
- Resolution of professional sport in 1962.
- Notice a new slogan of the Cuban sports movement: " Sport is a right of the people ", which should be the general practice of the revolutionary sports movement, with attention to the training and the overcoming of professional sport. It was the Escuela Superior de Educación Física - founded ( ESEF College of Physical Culture ).
Organizational Support of the Cuban sports system
The device, in its responsibility for the establishment, administration and enforcement of the adopted programs of physical education in Cuba, is the INDIANS. As already mentioned, it is also responsible for all activities sports and recreation throughout the country.
The INDIAN focuses its work on the expansion of the sport in all parts of the island to operate so that all sections of the population from child to reach up to the old man. Another main goal is to perfect the system of sporting activities as well as improving the technical and organizational aspects, closely linked with achieving a higher quality of services and extensive and intensive use of the sporting facilities.
The Institute's work also extends to the institutions of competitive sports with special attention to the athletes and all kinds of professional sport to achieve better athletic training of the population. In addition, it oversees the production of sports equipment, investment in sports fields and installations as well as the scientific work and research in the field of sport.
The Cuban sports today
Today's sports in Cuba is very successful worldwide. This Cuba is in a position to other Latin American countries, such as standing, for example Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil in an advisory and co-operative to the side. Coach education takes place at the International School of Physical Culture and Sports. Cuba successfully takes part in numerous international competitions, such as the summer Olympics, the Pan American Games, etc.. Here are the medal promising sports of baseball, women's Judo, Wrestling ( Greco- Roman), boxing and athletics. Noteworthy also are the successes in volleyball, wrestling, art and diving, chess, cycling, taekwondo and Canoeing.
A major problem for the Cuban sport is that for many successful athletes, especially boxers and baseball players abroad waving lucrative professional contracts and therefore often settle athletes in competitions abroad or they flee across the sea to neighboring countries. While enjoying top athletes in Cuba as a state Amateurs privileges, yet the income gap with their professional colleagues abroad is immense. 2013 allowed the Cuban government for the first time athletes abroad to earn money.
Baseball
→ Main article baseball in Cuba
Baseball is the national sport in Cuba. The Cuban national baseball is one of the most successful teams in the world. She's record Baseball World champion and record Baseball Olympic champion.
A national championship, the series Nacional de Béisbol, each of the fourteen provinces will be represented by one team. The capital Havana Industriales and notes with Metropolitanos two. Many games will be broadcast live on Cuban television.
Boxing
Cuba gained many achievements in boxing. His team plays a major role in the global landscape. Although the local championships reach not such a great spectacle, but they are very successful in major international events. Overall, Cuban boxers won 67 medals ( gold 34x, 19x silver, 14x bronze ) in Olympic Games and 121 medals ( gold 67x, 30x silver, 24x bronze ) at the World Championships.
One of the best Cuban boxers included the three -time Olympic champion and six -time world champion Félix Savón, as well as the three-time Olympic gold medalist and three -time world champion Teofilo Stevenson.
Cuba was among other things, the venue for the World Championships in 1974, the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1982, the Central American and Caribbean Championships in 1970 and 1983, the World Cup in 1990, the Pan Games in 1991 and the Junior World Championships in 1987, 1996 and 2002.
Judo
Judo was developed from year to year an increasingly important sport. In international tournaments the Cubans were always successful, especially among women with triple Olympic medalist Driulys González.
Cycling
In track cycling Cuban athletes could show international acclaim in recent years. Especially the two athletes Lisandra Guerra ( world champion in 500m time trial ) and Yumari González ( World Champion Scratch) regularly provide top places at UCI Track World Championships, UCI Track Cycling World Cup and Pan American Games and championships.
Championships
In Cuba, many sports championships are held:
- National Baseball Championships (estimated in many countries whether their quality and spectacle ).
- Championship, " Giraldo Cordova Cardín " in boxing
- Playa Giron - Cup in boxing
- Superior Basketball League
- Cuba tour cyclist as an international event
Cuba at the Olympic Games
Cuba regularly takes part in the Summer Olympic Games. The most successful games in the Cuban history were in 1992 in Barcelona with 14 gold medals, which corresponded to the fifth place in the medals table. In the first few games in which Cuba took part, they won in contrast, only one gold in London in 1948 and there was only one silver and one bronze. At that time, the sport was not promoted by the state.
Cuba at the Pan American Games
In the past Panemerikanischen playing the Cuban team presented extremely successful in their typical sports, but they also occurred in football, basketball, cycling and other sports.
Possibly one of the biggest surprises was the hard-fought victory for the gold medal in volleyball against the strong team from Brazil.
The numerous victories in track and field, baseball, basketball, womens volleyball, judo, wrestling, boxing and other sports made Cuba a country with the most medal winners in international competitions.
The Cuban sports and medicine
To achieve optimum results, the medicine plays a key role in the Cuban sports movement. Officially, it also serves as the fight against doping. The sport should be clean and healthy and the athletes, coaches and officials will be trained accordingly. Cuba's anti-doping laboratory is the fifth largest in America and is open to third- world countries. The Cuban Institute of Sports Medicine is responsible for maintaining the health and rehabilitation of athletes and sees its sphere of influence in Latin America.