Cuban rowers defect from Pan Am Games, coach says

It would hardly be the Pan American Games if the Cubans were not defecting to the United States.

The Canadian Press agency cited coach Juan Carlos Reyes as saying that rowers Leosmel Ramos, Wilber Turro, Manuel Suarez and Orlando Sotolongo had all left the squad.

The rowing venue for this year’s games – which started on July 10 and end on the 26th – is located in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, a short distance from the United States border. They have been in touch with teammates through Facebook reported by their coach They are following a time-honoured practice by running away.

They said their protocol for dealing with defections includes working with the Games’ integrated security unit and, if necessary, the affected country’s national Olympic committee.

Citizen and Immigration Canada would not comment on USA Immigration policies and asylum claims.

“We continue to seek to promote safe, legal and orderly migration from Cuba under our migration accords and deter unsafe unlawful migration from Cuba”, the department said in a statement.

“Last Sunday when we were racing in our eight we heard that one of the Cuban athletes on that boat was missing and they had to use a sub at the last minute”.

The year before that, two women on the Cuban soccer team defected from Vancouver after a qualifying match for the Olympics. They now play for a professional league in South Carolina.

Though Cuba’s relationship with the US has thawed, a few experts have said that at this time, it’s unlikely the change will reduce the incentive for Cuban athletes to defect while playing overseas.

Sotolongo won a silver medal in the men’s quadruple sculls event on Tuesday.