In another stunning move by the INDER (Institute of Sports, Recreation and Education), the governing body in Cuban sports has decided to eliminate the Repatriation Process for an athlete a requisite for participation in a international event for Cuba.
Representatives for the institute had this to say about the elimination of the bureaucratic step,””Once the necessary steps have been completed, we report that repatriation is no longer a requirement for Cubans residing abroad to participate in national events organized by Inder.”
El Inder se pronuncia sobre requisito de repatriación
Aunque los mayores debates al respecto se han suscitado en el beisbol, no hay dudas de que la decisión impactará en otros deportes y disciplinas. #Cuba #DeporteCubano https://t.co/iIcHnRuCtn— JIT Deporte Cubano (@jit_digital) June 29, 2023
The matter at hand will also apply to national tournaments such as the Serie Nacional and Liga Élite. This Repatriation Clause has prevented the participation of many athletes who wanted to play for Cuba, but did not want to through the process fearing it would hurt in the United States. Alexei Ramírez and Yasmany Tomás are two examples of players impeded by the process
Now that this inept and unnecessary step has been eliminated expect more athletes to return to the island’s tournament, even those who do not reside in Cuba or are of Cuban descent.
A sports federation that was once viewed a draconian with the recent developments of opening up to all players and eliminating some of the red tape preventing their incorporation has finally taken some steps to bring itself into the 21st century.
Expect these moves to also impact participation of athletes in future international events such as the upcoming Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile.