Associated Press. Sunday, December 30.
The Globe and Mail
Rome — Six Cuban volleyball players reportedly left a tournament in
Belgium and showed up in Italy, where they want to play professionally instead
of returning to Cuba.
Most of the Cubans insisted that political asylum was not their goal,
Corriere dello Sport, a leading Italian sports newspaper, said Sunday.
"There aren't political motives behind our fleeing," Cuban player
Ihosvany Hernandez told the newspaper. "We want to say that loud and clear
so we're not misunderstood."
Italy's Interior Ministry, which handles asylum requests, said no one was
available Sunday who knew anything about the Cubans.
One player, Angel Dennis, was reported missing at the Flanders tournament
near Antwerp on Friday. The others reportedly left later from an Antwerp hotel.
The Cuban national team was playing in the tournament.
Several of the Cubans had played in the past on pro teams in Italy.
Hernandez told Corriere dello Sport the players wanted to "improve our
play in a league that's considered the most beautiful and the strongest in the
world. In Cuba we don't have the possibility of showing what we're worth."
"All our documents are in order," he added. "We don't have
any intention of asking political asylum. We'll ask Cuba about the possibility
of playing abroad."
Hernandez said the players are willing to send some of their future earnings
to Cuba and want to continue to play for their national team, the newspaper
added. | 
