Wrestling legend Lopez calls for Cuban sport to 'open up' to the world / Photo: Punit PARANJPE - AFP/File
-
Russia lashes out at Zelensky ahead of new Trump meeting on Ukraine plan
-
Salah helps Egypt beat South Africa and book last-16 place
-
Australia's Ikitau facing lengthy lay-off after shoulder injury
-
Another 1,100 refugees cross into Mauritania from Mali: UN
-
Guardiola proud of Man City players' response to weighty issues
-
Deadly blast hits mosque in Alawite area of Syria's Homs
-
The Jukebox Man on song as Redknapp records 'dream' King George win
-
Liverpool boss Slot says Ekitike reaping rewards for greater physicality
-
Judge jails ex-Malaysian PM Najib for 15 more years after new graft conviction
-
Musona rescues Zimbabwe in AFCON draw with Angola
-
Zelensky to meet Trump in Florida on Sunday
-
'Personality' the key for Celtic boss Nancy when it comes to new signings
-
Arteta eager to avoid repeat of Rice red card against Brighton
-
Nigeria signals more strikes likely in 'joint' US operations
-
Malaysia's former PM Najib convicted in 1MDB graft trial
-
Elusive wild cat feared extinct rediscovered in Thailand
-
Japan govt approves record budget, including for defence
-
Malaysia's Najib convicted of abuse of power in 1MDB graft trial
-
Seoul to ease access to North Korean newspaper
-
History-maker Tongue wants more of the same from England attack
-
Australia lead England by 46 after 20 wickets fall on crazy day at MCG
-
Asia markets edge up as precious metals surge
-
Twenty wickets fall on day one as Australia gain edge in 4th Ashes Test
-
'No winner': Kosovo snap poll unlikely to end damaging deadlock
-
Culture being strangled by Kosovo's political crisis
-
Main contenders in Kosovo's snap election
-
Australia all out for 152 as England take charge of 4th Ashes Test
-
Boys recount 'torment' at hands of armed rebels in DR Congo
-
Inside Chernobyl, Ukraine scrambles to repair radiation shield
-
Bondi victims honoured as Sydney-Hobart race sets sail
-
North Korea's Kim orders factories to make more missiles in 2026
-
Palladino's Atalanta on the up as Serie A leaders Inter visit
-
Hooked on the claw: how crane games conquered Japan's arcades
-
Shanghai's elderly waltz back to the past at lunchtime dance halls
-
Japan govt approves record 122 trillion yen budget
-
US launches Christmas Day strikes on IS targets in Nigeria
-
Australia reeling on 72-4 at lunch as England strike in 4th Ashes Test
-
Too hot to handle? Searing heat looming over 2026 World Cup
-
Packers clinch NFL playoff spot as Lions lose to Vikings
-
Guinea's presidential candidates hold final rallies before Sunday's vote
-
Calvin B. Taylor Bankshares, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Financial Results and Announces New Stock Repurchase Program
-
Processa Pharmaceuticals and 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals Interviews to Air on the RedChip Small Stocks, Big Money(TM) Show on Bloomberg TV
-
Aptevo Therapeutics Announces 1-for-18 Reverse Stock Split
-
Loar Holdings Inc. Announced The Completion of its Acquisition of LMB Fans & Motors
-
IRS Can Freeze Installment Agreements After Missed Filings - Clear Start Tax Explains Why Compliance Comes First
-
How the Terms of SMX's $111 Million Capital Facility Shape the Valuation Discussion
-
A Christmas Message to the DEA's Diversion Anti Marijuana Cabal
-
QAT Community Sets QuantumTrade 5.0 for Public Beta Testing in March 2026
-
BondwithPet Expands B2B Offering with Custom Pet Memorial Product
-
Best Crypto IRA Companies (Rankings Released)
NYSE - LSE
| CMSC | 0.43% | 23.12 | $ | |
| SCS | 0.12% | 16.14 | $ | |
| CMSD | 0.02% | 23.144 | $ | |
| NGG | 0.05% | 77.53 | $ | |
| GSK | -0.02% | 48.95 | $ | |
| RIO | 1.56% | 82.171 | $ | |
| BCC | -0.32% | 74.471 | $ | |
| BTI | -0.16% | 57.15 | $ | |
| AZN | 0.22% | 92.65 | $ | |
| RBGPF | 0% | 81.26 | $ | |
| BCE | 0.11% | 23.035 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.12% | 13.486 | $ | |
| RYCEF | -0.65% | 15.43 | $ | |
| BP | -0.34% | 34.195 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.12% | 41.04 | $ | |
| VOD | -0.23% | 13.07 | $ |
Wrestling legend Lopez calls for Cuban sport to 'open up' to the world
Legendary Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez, the only athlete to have won five consecutive individual Olympic golds, called Thursday for Cuban sport to "open up" to the world to help it recover its lost glory.
In an interview with AFP in Sao Paulo, Lopez, 43, said sport on the communist-run island was "going through a very difficult time" and needed to embrace sponsorship to retain talent.
"International sport is a business. In sports, there are sponsors...and that development hasn't reached Cuba," Lopez said at the COB Expo, a fair organized by the Brazilian Olympic Committee.
"There needs to be a change," he said, in unusually candid remarks for a Cuban athlete.
A traditional powerhouse of Latin American sport, Cuba fared poorly at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Its tally of two gold medals, one silver, and six bronze medals was its lowest since its return to the athletics extravaganza in Barcelona in 1992 after boycotting the Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 editions.
Barcelona was where Team Cuba peaked, bringing home 14 gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals.
"We've lost a lot of talent," Lopez said, citing defections from the island and deteriorating conditions at training centers as contributing factors.
Ch.P.Lewis--AT
