In previous connections, women have been the protagonists of this space, and will continue to be so, because after so long, here they have achieved a milestone in their emancipation on the sports fields. They are present, for the first time, in a number equal to that of their stage companions, since they represent 49% of the participants.
There are even sports, three in total, in which only they are the actresses. In softball, rhythmic gymnastics, and synchronized swimming; beauty, but also firmness and determination, vibrate in every effort.
Not only are they, but they shine with outstanding performances at these Games that have them at the center of inspiration. One of them is the four-time Olympic medalist in judo, Idalys Ortiz, or the Colombian Mariana Pajón in cycling, who came to look for her third golden trophy, and left with a historic silver medal as a reward for her effort and not giving up. in the effort, after an epic comeback when it seemed that he did not reach the podium.
Although there is no female representation, no Cuban can view baseball with indifference, although, as now, for the first time, the Greater Antilles is absent from the Olympic tournament. We were passing through Ueno, to take the subway and get to the Greco-Roman wrestling earlier, when we saw the sign for the ball park.
One of the pitches in this complex is named after Shiki Masaoka, a Meiji era poet (1868-1912), who translated the terms pitcher and batter into Japanese. In a monument in his honor is engraved one of his haikus (short poems that refer to a place or a very specific moment): “It was the teacher Kanoe Chuma who gave this sport the Japanese name of Yakyu.”
