MPAC: Cubans to miss tourney
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| Men's Pan American Cup 2004 |
May 15, 2004 
London Free Press, Canada
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Cuba, the men's field hockey Pan American Cup defending champion, isn't coming to London. The Pan American hockey federation said the Cuban team was unable to secure visas for travel to Canada, forcing the Pan Am Cup event to continue this week at TD Waterhouse Stadium with 11 teams instead of 12.
"It is unfortunate that we didn't hear from the Cuban problems earlier as we could have tried to assist them," said Pan American hockey federation president Tony von Ondarza.
"Their late withdrawal prevents the entry of a replacement team and unbalances the format of the competition."
That leaves Pool B with five teams (Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Netherlands Antilles), while Pool A remains at six (United States, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, Venezuela).
Cuba was expected to compete for top spot in Pool B with Canada (2-0). The two squads were supposed to meet today, but that game has been cancelled.
"It's disappointing for the fans. A Canada-Cuba game is always widely contested," said tournament co-chairperson Derek Sandison.
Ever since a spate of defections by Cuban athletes at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, the Cuban government has been wary of sending sports teams to this country.
During those Games, Cuban President Fidel Castro denounced Canada as "enemy territory."
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