Reuters reports that Cuba complained commercialism had triumphed over sport on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to eliminate Havana from the 2012 short list, which it said favoured industrialized countries.
Cuba Olympic Committee president Jose Ramon Fernandez said, “the decision was based on infrastructure, big hotels, television, advertising. We insist it should be based on sport and not commerce. Havana will continue maintaining that athletic merit and organizational capability should be the main factors for hosting the Olympic Games”.
According to Reuters Cuba had staked Havana’s claim on its athletic record as the winner of the most Olympic medals per capital of population.
Havana was also dropped from the short list for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games which went to Beijing.
