Renowned baseball player Lenín Alberto Picota Tenorio, of Panamanian origin, was naturalized as a Nicaraguan on August 12, through certification 2024-02243, published by the Ministry of the Interior in the official newspaper La Gaceta.
In the statement of considerations for granting Picota Tenorio Nicaraguan nationality, it is argued that he “has complied with the requirements and formalities established in the Political Constitution of Nicaragua, taking into account his residence in this country continuously and uninterruptedly for more than two years and having ties of affinity and consanguinity with Nicaraguans.”
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Unlike Palestinian or Lebanese citizens to whom the Ortega Murillo dictatorship has given Nicaraguan nationality, baseball player Picota Tenorio has earned his nationality in the country through his baseball career.
Career in Nicaraguan baseball
Lenín Picota has been playing for the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League (LNBP) for more than ten years and has stood out in several teams. In addition to the Tigres de Chinandega, which he currently manages, he has been in the Leones de León, San Fernando, Tren del Norte and Pioneros de Managua teams.
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Under Picota’s direction, the Chinandega Tigers baseball team, according to Nicaraguan media reports, reached four consecutive final series in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, managing to emerge as winners in the first two.
His quality as a manager of Nicaraguan teams, in addition to being tested with the Chinandega Tigers and the Tren del Norte, was also proven with the Saltillo Saraperos of Mexico. In addition, he has stood out as a player for the Panamanian national baseball team and was on the verge of the Major Leagues when he played for the Montreal Expos of Canada and the Seattle Mariners of the United States.
