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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the Oct. 26, 2000
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------At Olympics, Cuba's golden
By Rosemary Neidenberg
Four-and-a-half centuries of colonialist and imperialist domination. Four decades of building socialism--all the while assaulted by blockades and chemical war waged on crops and people. In spite of all the difficulties, Cuba once again made an incredible showing at this year's Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The medals Cuban athletes won are shining proof of the resilience, creativity and dedication of a people organized in a collective society.
At the Atlanta games in 1996, Cuba placed ninth overall in the world's medal standings. At the Sydney games, Cuba came in eighth overall, with 29 medals. It was surpassed only by the Goliath United States, having 27 times Cuba's population and exponentially more wealth, with 97 medals; Russia--still drawing on the Soviet Union's devotion to sports for the people--with 88; socialist China with 59; and highly developed Australia (58), Germany (57), France (38) and Italy (34)--all with populations far bigger than Cuba's.
As the athletes circled the arena during the opening ceremonies, an NBC-TV broadcaster announced the number of athletes on each team and the nation's population. Cuba, with a population of 10 million, sent 243 women and men to the games--about 24 participants for every 1 million residents. Even this bought-and-paid-for media guy commented on the size of the Cuban delegation.
The United States, with a population of 274 million, sent 602 athletes. Great Britain, population 58 million, sent 319. Japan, population 126 million and the world's second largest economy, sent 268.
Commenting on the efforts of the U.S. and other imperialist powers to lure away Cuban athletes, President José Ramon Fernandez of the Cuban Olympic Committee said, "It is absolutely unfair that the rich countries, based on their economic capacity, offers of scholarships or gifts, and conditions of life, take away the sporting talents of the poor nations just as they rob the scientific brains...
"The people of Cuba generate the funds and other resources for the preparation of our athletes and provide training facilities, education, medical services and meals at no charge," he explained.
An imperfect formula
The Sept. 10 New York Times wrote about a formula created by two professors. The formula states that two factors account for 95 percent of a nation's predicted medal count. First, the number of medals it won at previous Olympics; and second, the size of its economy. Hence the bigger the economy, the better.
The formula predicted 97 medals for the United States. Its team won 97.
Japan was predicted to win 19 medals. It won 18. So far, very good!
But when it came to factoring in social conditions, the professors struck out.
Russia, still building off of Soviet-era successes, won 88 medals--way above their prediction of 59. China won 59 medals--prediction, 49.
No way could they fit Cuba into their formula. Unless, of course, they factored in a nationalized economy and a society united in its communist goals.
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