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US, Cuba compete to teach India baseball
By Indian Express. January
3, 2007.
It's a US-Cuba battle and India has a role
to play.
The Indian Left may not have started lobbying
yet but Cuba has sought the country's
in its efforts to win the International
Baseball Federation (IBAF) elections scheduled
for March.
What gives the offer an interesting twist
is the fact that even its arch rivals US
has pitched in, although in an informal
way.
The Cuban embassy has sent a letter to
the ministry seeking its in the
elections to the apex body of the sport
that both the US and Cuba claim their own.
Fidel Castro's country's candidate for the
job is a former sports minister of the country
though it has not been officially conveyed
yet.
Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Sports
Mani Shankar Aiyar told The Indian Express
at the Idea Exchange on Tuesday that the
Cuban Ambassador has informally told him
that his country, the Olympic champions,
could help India develop the sport.
The bitter rivalry between George Bush's
US and Castro's Cuba is the stuff baseball
lore is made of. Bush even made one attempt
to bar Cuba from participating from the
World Baseball Classic tournament in Puerto
Rico early last year.
The Ministry has sought the MEA's opinion
on Cuba's offer.
Though there is no official request yet
from the US, a baseball club from the country
has already offered help to the Ministry
of Sports and Youth Affairs in nurturing
the almost-invisible sport in the country.
A team from the club is to meet the ministry
officials.
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