Olympics, Juantorena and Bach: “It’s time for diplomacy, but let’s not talk about Paris”

Thomas Bach, number 1 of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), spoke in Havana with Alberto Juantorena, shortly before concluding a two-day visit to Cuba in which he was also received by the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel. On a sunny morning at the Pan-American Stadium in Havana, Bach inaugurated a state-of-the-art athletics track and attended a performance by young athletes from the island, together with the head of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic and the president of the Cuban Olympian, Roberto Leon Richards. During the event, Juantorena, still recovering from the physical problems that struck him in 2022, including Covid-19 (and who should be one of the guests at the next Trento Festival), gave Bach an autographed shirt. It was a meeting between the Olympic kings of Montreal 76, where the number 1 of the IOC was crowned in the team foil competition (with Germany) and Juantorena was the triumphant king of the 400 and 800 meters events.

Sports diplomacy

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When asked about Russian and Belarusian athletes being readmitted to the international forum, Bach said the IOC was working on diplomatic demarches to explore the situation. “We are on the road to consultations to be very clear, these consultations concern international competitions. It’s not the time to talk about the Olympic Games in Paris, it’s still too early,” Bach told reporters. Shortly after his arrival in Havana, the Olympic leader participated in an extraordinary Assembly of the Cuban Olympic Committee, inaugurated a multifunctional field in the Sports City, attended a sports-cultural show and then exchanged a few words with the Cuban sports stars such as Mijaín López, Julio César La Cruz and Arlen López, who also gave him clothes with their autograph.