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In early September, Cuban athlete Osleni Guerrero, the best Cuban badminton player in history, left an event in Mexico and crossed the border into the United States. Now, from Texas, he told Play-Off Magazine why he did it.
“In the final stretch in the national team. I felt that, due to my age, the directors of my discipline saw me in decline, and really I was not. There were a lot of factors.” Guerrero specified to said medium.
The athlete explained that the group of coaches lost interest in him, at just 33 years old. He pointed out that in the last tournament with the Cuban team he was the best of the delegation of five athletes and won medals, but even so, they looked at him with misgivings.
“That started to disenchant me a lot. I didn’t think that moment would come for me. (…) They left a lot to be desired negatively. That made me stand out and walk away. I didn’t want to feel like this,” she added.
Along with the growing disappointment in sports, the obstacles to obtaining “cash” prizes kept Osleni away from Cuban badminton.
“The decision to leave was not only for the sporting issue. Also for personal reasons. I was having trouble getting my prizes. They took a long time at INDER. That affects us psychologically. We have a family. I have two daughters, a mother. Those are important things for us. We fight to be great athletes, but we also do it because the family feels good, ”he insisted.
Guerrero assured that on the island, “everything is a problem, a bureaucracy. Yes, the country has difficulties, we all understand that, but why should an athlete wait six months, a year, to obtain an award? I didn’t see the logic in it when I was doing my duty.”
Regarding the decision to leave a tournament and cross the border last September with two teammates, the athlete assured that he made it at the last minute, although he was convinced that he needed a change.
“It was taken lightly. She hadn’t thought of it. I always defended the idea that if they take care of me in my country, if they respect me, if they value my work, that’s where I stay. But, really, things started to change,” she explained.
The badminton player insisted that if “you don’t like me” you should leave and find a place where your sacrifice and talent is valued or, at least, paid much better than on the island.
“My family needs a lot from me, from my support. Economically in Cuba things do not flow in the best way. It’s like she told you before, she earned money in cash and it took a while to arrive. They did not understand that he had a family. I am not criticizing anyone for that. Everyone knows how I am, ”she insisted.
Finally, Guerrero clarified that “emigrant athletes are looked upon badly” in Cuba and treated as “deserters,” but they must understand that “one gets tired.”
“They must see that they felt bad at a certain moment. They confronted the leadership telling him the shortcomings, and they were not listened to. When the time comes, one gets tired. He wants to change his life,” he concluded.
