The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, received on Tuesday night at the Palace of the Revolution medalists of the Pan American Games in Chile, athletes who had an outstanding performance there, although they did not climb the podium of awards, as well as coaches, commissioners of various disciplines and sports glories who also attended the multiple appointment of Santiago.
The President greeted each of them -about 130 people- in the Salón de los Tres Próceres, a place where personalities from Cuba and the world who come to the Presidency of the Republic are received. Accompanied by the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, and the head of the Department of Attention to the Social Sector of the Central Committee of the Party, Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo, the Head of State welcomed them and congratulated them for their performance in Santiago de Chile.
The Cuban people and all of us lived exciting moments, said Díaz-Canel, moments of great satisfaction to see how you gave yourselves to the competition with tremendous dignity, and above all with overwhelming results in a group of sports.
We have a new batch of young athletes with great potential, considered the president. Regardless of the vicissitudes we have had for the development of sports in recent years, due to the economic and social situation faced by the country, as well as the campaign to discredit the Revolution, "Cuban sport is alive, it is thriving and continues to be among the best".
The fifth place by countries in the Pan American Games, he stressed, was won with tenacity, effort and talent. As if this were not enough, said Díaz-Canel, our athletes in the Parapan American Games are also doing a tremendous performance, and I believe that they will also go beyond the forecasts.
Many of you, he added in the dialogue with the athletes, surpassed your own records, your own previous performances, and won medals that were not initially foreseen. That also says how you went out to defend the patriotic colors. "We know what is behind every medal, every performance, every success."
It is impressive, the President valued, to see how very young people - who were unknown before and now all of Cuba knows them - shone in the sports arena. This fills us with pride and renews our commitment to continue developing the Cuban sports movement.
The president also warned about the need to "also make a self-critical analysis of the things that did not go well, of the deficiencies that we have to overcome". Above all, a rigorous evaluation of collective sports must be made, he added.
On behalf of the leadership of the Party, the leadership of the Government, on behalf of the Cuban people, congratulations for the success in these Pan American Games, let's set our sights on the next Olympic cycle, he said.
Cuba ended its participation in the Pan American Games in Chile with a total of 69 medals, including 30 gold, 22 silver and 17 bronze, which ranked fifth in the medal table by countries, after the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Canada.