Osleni Guerrero is part of the Cuban athletes who have emigrated in recent months. (Photo: Rebel Radio)
Osleni Guerrero, considered the best badminton player in Cuba, is part of the athletes who in recent months have left the Island and entered the United States in search of better opportunities.
The 33-year-old athlete, now a resident of Texas, spoke with the sports media Play Off about his reasons for migrating and the problems he faced in his native country for practicing an unpopular sport.
The silver and bronze medalist at the Pan American Games began in this discipline as a child and at the age of 11 he made his debut at the 2000 Pan American Badminton.
As his body grew, it was difficult for him to keep the training shoes and in turn it was a big problem to get them on the Island.
Due to the shortages in his country of birth, competitors from other nations gave him shoes, rackets and other implements for the practice of badminton.
“On several occasions they were given to me by older players who knew me,” said Guerrero, who won gold medals in various regional and continental competitions.
He also mentioned that his outstanding career in the aforementioned Olympic sport was not reflected in his lifestyle, since he faced deficiencies like the rest of Cubans and his earnings took time to arrive, despite being the father of two daughters.
The representative of Cuba in the 2016 Olympic Games began to perceive that the directors of his discipline already saw him as an athlete in decline and noticed a loss of interest in his performance.
“Where you fall badly, you must go. You must look for the place where your sacrifice is valued, or at least, remunerated in the best possible way, and I am not just referring to money. I mean a place where you can do more things with your work, with your discipline, ”he told the specialized media.
These factors led him to join the migratory movement of Cubans to the United States, taking advantage of the fact that he was in Mexican territory for a competition.
“I made the decision at the last minute. I wanted to change, improve my sports career, be at another level, in another field. She was taken lightly. I 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.
Speaking about the escape of Cuban athletes, Guerrero feels that this exodus is a source of sadness and also reflects that the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation is not defending the athletes against the ideas of the communist authorities.
