Father Demands Justice After Children Expelled from National Gymnastics School

A Cuban father has publicly criticized the National Gymnastics School's decision to expel several children after years of rigorous training and is demanding answers from sports authorities about how the families were informed of this decision.

Olieg Guerrero expressed his outrage on Facebook, speaking as the father of María José Guerrero and as a concerned citizen. He accused the institution of showing a profound lack of respect, sensitivity, ethics, and responsibility towards the affected minors.

"The administration of the National Gymnastics School has decided to discharge our children after years of dedication, discipline, sacrifice, and emotional and physical strain," Guerrero lamented.

His main criticism is directed at the manner in which the decision was made and communicated, claiming it was done without any direct explanation to the parents or the athletes themselves.

"Where is the respect for our children? Where is the transparency they always talk about? Where is the ethics of those making decisions that directly impact the future of these kids?" Guerrero questioned.

Using his daughter María José as an example, Guerrero asked, "What about those medals? What about the endless hours of training? What about the tears, the fatigue, the injuries, the travels, the competitions, and all the sacrifices our children and their families have made?"

He strongly opposed the idea that the time and effort put in by the children could be dismissed by an administrative decision. "We are not talking about goods that can be returned when no longer needed. We are talking about children," he emphasized.

Guerrero also highlighted the significant financial burden that many Cuban families bear to support an athlete's training, covering everything from food and transportation to uniforms and sports equipment.

According to Guerrero, parents first learned of the dismissals through a teacher managing a WhatsApp group, not directly from the school's administration.

In light of this, he demanded that if the dismissals were due to sports criteria, evaluations, or administrative reasons, these should be explained and shown to the families.

Guerrero also speculated whether economic or institutional challenges facing the country might be linked to the decision, though he acknowledged that his post did not officially identify the reasons for the dismissals.

He expressed additional concern for athletes from other provinces, whose families face even greater challenges in supporting their children’s athletic development.

Finally, the father called for the responsible authorities to clarify the specific reasons for the dismissals and to seek solutions for the affected children. "Our children deserve better, deserve respect, dignity, transparency, and deserve to have their years of sacrifice treated with importance, not as just a number in a file," he asserted.

"As a father, I will not remain silent in the face of such an injustice and disrespect," he added.

"We are not asking for privileges, we are demanding justice. We are not asking for our children to be favored, we are insisting that their efforts be respected," he concluded.

Although the distressed father does not know the reasons behind this decision, his complaint emerges amid an especially challenging time for Cuban sports.

In May, for instance, national baseball championships for the Under-12, Under-15, and Under-18 categories were canceled due to the energy crisis, replaced by physical and technical tests to assess young talents.

Moreover, economic difficulties have long eroded the foundation supporting high-performance sports in Cuba.

Sports journalist Carlos Hernández Luján recently warned that "much of the sports pyramid in Cuba has been lost," citing issues such as athlete emigration, limited international competition, and economic constraints.