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Cuban Athletics´ History
Before the 1959 Revolution, the Cuban athletics was not a mass sport practice in the country. Actually there were only few practitioners of this discipline due to disinterest and lower sports culture at that time. Actually most people had no money to pay school and had to work to help his family. Nor were sports schools and recreation areas to encourage the future athletes. The recreation was only for the wealthy people. Participation in sporting events was very poor and with very poor quality for the lack of methodological training. With the new revolutionary government of 1959 the importance of physical culture was highlighted. To accomplish this aim, mass sports were promoted in the country and Cuban children from a very early age in primary schools were linked to sport through a subject called Physical Education. It was enhanced in this way the practice of sports in Cuba and allowed a reserve from the earliest ages and the preparation of future top athletes of the country was established.
Cuban Athletics and its Schools
To boost the development of Cuban athletics, Cuban government created sport academies. These institutions are called: EIDE, ESPA and CEAR and its main objective is to increase the development of athletes in the country. These academies are designed to maintain an active skills training cycle for both national and international. For the promotion of athletics in the island a synthetic track in Havana and the other in Santiago de Cuba was built. In Santiago de Cuba it was also created a foundation to concentrate athletes with good results in different modes: jump, flat races and launch of all kinds, among others. There was subsequently a formation of new bases in the rest of the country, such as the case of the Villa Clara province. For the rest of the provinces Sports Villas were created.
Cuban Athletics and its Development
The development in the Cuban athletics has not lagged behind in relation to the international arena. There are numerous example of very talented Cuban athletes such as Ana Fidelia Quirot, Alberto Juantorena, Javier Sotomayor, Anier García, Dayron Robles, Pedro Pablo Pichardo, that placed very high the name of Cuba. With the creation of amateur sport the development of Cuban sport is evidenced, especially in Athletics, sport that has shown what is worth through the participation in Pan-American, Centre-American and Olympic games.
