New York, 9 February 2021. From April 2019 to March 2020, the impact on the Cuban sports sector as a result of the blockade imposed by the US government on the island is estimated at approximately USD 9,995,000.
For instance, the company CUBADEPORTES underwent a decrease in its capacity to import sports equipment of US brands, many of which are mandatory, as stipulated by the official regulations of International Federations. The same company ended 2019 with an amount of accounts receivable exceeding half a million dollars, due to serious difficulties in the collection of services rendered, derived from the financial persecution of the US government against banking entities of third countries that carry out operations with Cuban entities.
Perhaps one of the most publicized examples, even among the US press, was Washington's announcement on 8 April 2019, to cancel the agreement signed in December 2018 between the Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB, by its Spanish initials), under the argument that current US laws prohibit trade with entities associated with the Cuban government.
In previous editions of the Caribbean Series, Cuba participated in the category of "guest" country due to the US opposition to accept it as a full member of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. Although an agreement between the US government and that entity had been foreseen for 2019, the hostile escalation against our country prevented the participation of the Cuban team in the Caribbean Series, held in February 2020 in Puerto Rico. Likewise, it was announced that the Cuban baseball team would also not take part in the next edition of this event to be held in Mexico.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations