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Cubans are avid sports fans and interested
in a variety of spectator sports. Cuba is
viewed by many as "the best little
sports machine in the world" because
of the number of outstanding athletes it
has produced over the years, including three
time Olympic boxing champion Teofilo Stevenson
and Javier Sotomayor, the world record holder
in the high jump and only man to clear 8
feet in the event. Most young people are
encouraged to participate in some kind of
athletic endeavor.
Since it was introduced in the early 1900's,
baseball has been the favorite sport of
Cuba. Many Cubans have distinguished themselves
as professional players in the big leagues.
Cuba's amateur teams are some of the best
in the world. Almost every city and town
has a stadium where baseball games take
place. Cuba's major league is called La
Liga Nacional. Over the last few years
there has been a string of defections of
Cuba's most notable baseball players including
Orlando "El Duque" Hernández,
his brother Livan and Rolando Arrojo to
name a few.
The main baseball season runs from December
to June. Havana's main baseball stadium
is the 60,000 seat Estadio Latinoamericano
located in Vedado. Havana has two national
teams, Industriales and Metropolitanos.
Everyone should attend a lively baseball
game in Cuba to savor the wonderful atmosphere.
Havana also has adequate sports facilities
and even hosted the Pan-American Games.
Boxing is also popular. A long line of amateur
champions have come out of Cuba. Soccer
enjoys some following but has not caught
on as in other Latin American countries.
Basketball is the most popular court game
among Cuba's black community. Almost all
high schools and colleges have teams. Cuban
volleyball teams are outstanding. Cycling
has become popular and there are several
cycling clubs in the Havana area.
Most hotels have swimming pools which are
open to non guests. There are a couple of
public pools at Parque Lenin. The
Club Habana Tel: (24) 5700 and the
Marina have excellent pool facilities which
are open to nonmembers for a small fee.
Surprisingly, there are two bowling alleys:
one at the Havana Golf Club Tel:
(55) 8746 and another at the Hotel Kohly
in Vedado Tel: (24) 0240.
As we mentioned, there are two golf courses
in the country; one in Havana and another
at the Varadero resort. More courses are
bound to be built in the future. Public
tennis facilities are limited but most resort
areas have courts.
Although not spectator sports, chess and
especially dominoes are widely played and
enjoyed be Cubans. Dominoes are second
only to baseball in popularity. Some Cubans
insist that it is even more popular. It
was originally brought from the Andalusian
part of Spain.
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