RHC Special: The Hostile Campaign Against Cuba's Athletes Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org THE HOSTILE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CUBAN ATHLETES: CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ADDRESSES THE NATION Havana, September 3(RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro addressed the nation and the world during a special television appearance Thursday evening -- irrefutably unmasking the fabrications waged against Cuban athletes. Speaking from Cuban television studios in downtown Havana, the Cuban leader provided a detailed account of actions taken by Cuba in light of the accusations waged against World Champion Javier Sotomayor and weight-lifters William Vargas, Rolando Delgado and Modesto Sanchez -- all stripped of gold medals at the Winnipeg Pan American Games due to doping allegations. Fidel Castro revealed the violation of all established norms concerning the secrecy of anti-doping tests at any international sporting event. He pointed out that Sotomayor -- who had refused numerous offers of millions of dollars to defect -- was targeted by corrupt officials at the Pan American Games in Canada -- an attempt to destroy the glorious career of this prestigious Cuban athlete. The leader of the Cuban Revolution noted that all the Cuban people refused to accept alleged evidence of cocaine use -- particularly in the midst of an intense, hostile campaign directed against the Cuban delegation at the Pan Am Games and that the world champion himself, despite assertions by the Cuban delegation in Winnipeg, said he never drank any tea or beverage that could have led to test positive for cocaine. During his television appearance, the Cuban leader said that upon their return to the island, all seven members of the Cuban weight-lifting team -- including the three accused of using nandrolone -- provided urine samples which were confidentially taken to laboratories in Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona for further examination. Since nandrolone is a steroid that remains in the system for more than six months, there would be no doubt about its presence in any member of the Cuban delegation. The results of tests on the urine samples by all three European laboratories -- which conducted the extensive examinations without knowing the identity of the athletes or the purpose of the tests -- were negative. This conclusively proved that Cuban weight-lifters never used steroids as officials at Winnipeg had alleged. Fidel Castro stated that this confirms what Cuba has been saying all along: that allegations of doping by Cuban athletes at Winnipeg were "a shameful fraud and a colossal lie" -- aimed at discrediting the Cuban sports movement. Following the Cuban leader's introduction, the Deputy Chairman of the Cuban Institute of Sports, Christian Jimenez, as well as other specialists, provided evidence on the irregularities that surrounded the doping allegations against Cuban athletes. The second part of this special program denouncing injustices against Cuban athletes will be broadcast Friday evening on national radio and television, as well as Spanish-language frequencies of Radio Havana Cuba. [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org rhc-eng-25540 1999-Sep-03 13:48:53