Many of the Cuban Olympic medals that were dedicated to Fidel Castro have gone to the auctions of “wild capitalism.”
Havana, Cuba. – In the fifth period of ordinary sessions of the X Legislature of the National Assembly of Popular Power, recently held, the deputies talked about sport as never before. Just as the “dollarization” of the economy was justified, the same thing happened with the “monetization” of sport. Incidentally, it was recognized, although without expressing it tacitly, that the policy of abolishing professionalism by Fidel Castro more than 60 years ago had been a failure.
Therefore, in the meantime Manido, with everything and law of the Cuban sports system included, no one in the auditorium alluded to the “bad image” that causes the sale of historically “ideologized” medals and that for years have been marketed clandestinely by illustrious “revolutionary” athletes to attenuate their domestic penuries.
On the EBAY electronic commerce platform, it is on sale A “package” of two Cuban medals dating from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and Sydney 2000, for the outstanding price of $ 140,000 (in total).
One is the gold medal with which one of the legendary “Morenas del Caribe” was awarded, who won their second title followed in the capital of the state of Georgia, three sets To one, about China. The squad, led by Eugenio George, was made up of Mireya LuisTaimaris Agüero, Bell rule, Magalys Carbajal, Marlenis Costa, Ana Ibis Fernández, Mirka France, Idalmis Gato, Lily Izquierdo, Raysa O’Farrill, Yumilka Ruiz and Torres Rule.
The other Cuban medal for sale is silverof the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and corresponds to one of the players of the Cuban baseball team that lost in the final 4-0 against the United States. The Cubans were directed by veteran Tom Lasorda and had Servio Borges as helmsman. It was the first time that Cuba admitted “rented” players, but there was no active player of the major leagues available.
The Cuban team was formed by Ariel Pestano, Juan Manrique Selection, Orestes Kindelán, Antonio Scull, Antonio Pacheco, Oscar Macías, Omar Linares, Gabriel Pierre, Germán Mesa, Danel Castro, Javier Méndez, Luis Ulacia, Yobal Dueñas, Yasser Gómez, Miguel Caldés, Rolando Meriñ Ibar, Lázaro Valle, Yovani Aragón, Maels Rodríguez, Norge Luis Vera and Ormari Romero.
In neither case, EBAY identifies the original owners of the medals. Yes it offers interested the seller’s contact signs, established in Spain.
Coincidentally, last Friday night he closed the offer of Boston’s house RR AUCTION. The promoted Olympic gold medal of the Cuban boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa It was sold for US $ 14,619 (USD) after an initial estimate of $ 15,000.
The Gamboa metal was achieved in the final of the 51 kilograms against the Frenchman Jerome Thomas, at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
In the tender, a silver medal of the Cuban baseball team that participated in the Sydney Olympic Games was also bought for 3,750 USD dollars. Its dear was around 8,000 USD. At the bid site, he did not identify who belonged to the award or his current collector.
A silver medal from the Cuban baseball team of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, tournament won by South Korea was pending for another opportunity.
Other alleged Cuban medals
In the auction of the American house also also appeared Olympic tournament medals where Cubans climbed to the podiums with competitors from other countries, but the organizers of the auction did not specify who had received the medals.
For example, a bronze medal of the Volleyball Tournament of the Montreal Summer 1976, 5,000 USD was sold. “Cuba won the bronze in the male competition while South Korea obtained third place in the female”, is what he says RR AUCTION Without specifying more.
The medal obtained by Cuba in that event is the only one achieved by the Cuban manly cast in its history. He arrived after the victory over Japan 3-0 (15-8.15-9-15-8), with whom the island broke for third place.
The Cuban team, led by Gilberto Herrera, was made up of Leonel Marshall, Victoriano Sarmientos, Ernesto Martínez, Víctor García, Carlos Salas, Raúl Vilches, Jesús Savigne, Lorenzo Martínez, Diego Lapera, Antonio Rodríguez, Alfredo Figueredo and Jorge Pérez Vento.
It was also sold at 2,496 USD A bronze medal From the lostophilia of the “boycotted” Olympic Games of Moscow 1980, a “coveted” medal, according to RR AUCTION. After pointing out artistic data of the distinction, the auction house points out that “the medal is missing the colored tape” and that “the tape loop has been carefully filled with the upper edge.”
The United States led 65 countries in a boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The important historical events and the shortage of medals for the boycott give a special interest to the medals, which are sought by collectors around the world, underlines RR AUCTION.
The fact is that he does not reveal who was the winning athlete of this medal. Those who got the bronze on that occasion
Four years ago, in A state newspaper interview WorkersBlanco denounced that this Olympic medal, along with other world medals, had disappeared from the Sports Museum (opened during the 1991 Pan American Games). “I never knew what happened,” he said.
A former Cuban sports official commented Cubanet, Under anonymity, What valuable belongings of legendary athletes such as Ramón Fonst, among others, have been stolen from the Sports Museum. “Journalistic investigation should be done,” he said.
Waiting for Gamboa
Already consummated the auction of his medal, Gamboa was expected to clarify alleged contradictions around the fate of his precious Olympic award. Before and after deserting in 2006 the professional world champion would have said that he sold his medal. Nevertheless, In 2014 He argued that three years before “some criminals” had stolen the medal of his house and that years later he had received a replica from the IOC.
The Gamboa Gold Medal was among several of the Olympic dams that exceeded 10,000 USD in the auction that had as a central piece the sale of three Olympic metals, two gold and one silver, of the famous American diver Greg Louganis. The three added 430,865 USD.
Louganis won two other Olympic gold medals that were not for sale. The three auctions on Friday night were on several sales platforms for years to support LGBTQ+organizations.
A bronze medal in Canoa and female kayak of Paris 2024 and two silver of the Judo de Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Silver did not be sold on Friday night.
