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Cuba vetoes another defector's participation in Olympics
Roman SYDNEY, Sept 14 (AFP) - Canadian diver Arturo Miranda has been prevented from competing in the Sydney Olympics by his native country Cuba, the athlete said Thursday. Miranda becomes the sixth Cuban defector to be excluded from the Games, the most notable outcast being Niurka Montalvo - the world champion long jumper now competing for Spain who was also blackballed from the Olympics. Under Olympic rules an athlete's former country is allowed to veto his or her participation for three years after a change in nationality. The Canadian Olympic Committee on Wednesday received notification from the Sports Arbitration Tribunal that they were powerless to act after Cuba cast their veto as this was consistent with article 46 of the Olympic Charter. "I feel a bit disappointed by the decision of the Cuban authorities," Miranda - a 3 metre specialist - told AFP. "I left the island legally, with all my papers in order. It is a very heavy blow for me. I compete for Canada now but Cuba will always be my country, it is a country I love very much." Twenty-nine-year-old Miranda - selected by Canada for the three-metre springboard even, arrived in his new homeland in October, 1995 and obtained nationality after the mandatory three-year residency period. He left Cuba during the 1991 Panamerican Games after falling in love with a Canadian woman who had worked in tourism on the island and had to leave Cuba after her 10-year contract had expired. Miranda, who came sixth in those Panamerican Games, quit competition in 1992 and after being omitted from the Cuban squad for the Barcelona Games in 1992 he decided to return to competition in 1998 under the banner of his new country. "I returned (to Canada) because the kids I was training in Edmonton asked me too and I thought it was a good opportunity to take part in an Olympics," said Miranda. "This is a very tough blow for me and I hope the Cuban Olympic Committee reconsiders the decision." The Canadian Olympic Committee executive director Mark Lowry said: "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has told us it can do nothing. We have written two letters to the Cuban sporting authorities in July and August and they replied that Arturo Miranda could not compete. We are going to write another letter and ask (IOC president) Juan Antonio Samaranch to intervene." Before the decision was announced Miranda, who will be replaced in the Canadian team by 15-year-old Alexandre Despatie, had already been excluded from the Olympic village. Canadian head coach Mitch Geller, speaking before the announcement, said: "It's very unfair on the diver. He's been training with the team. It's a lot of pressure on him not knowing if he is competing or not." The decision by Cuba to veto Miranda's participation brings to six the number of Cuban defectors barred under this rule. Montalvo, Spanish waterpolo star Ivan Perez, American canoeist Angel Perez, Mexican cyclist Luis Martinez and Mexican sprinter Liliana Allen are the others.
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