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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Brazil overtakes Cuba as leader of Latin American sport

Brazil overtakes Cuba as leader of Latin American sport
Posted : Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:59:03 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Sports
Sports News | Home

Beijing - Brazil ended four decades of Cuban medals supremacy in Latin
American sport on Sunday. The final medals table at the Beijing Olympics
left Cuba in 27th place with 24 medals but only two golds. Brazil is in
place 22nd place with 15 medals including three golds.

Four years ago, in Athens 2004, Cuba ended in 11th place, with 27 medals
including nine golds while Brazil had finished 16th, with 10 medals
including five golds.

In Beijing, Cuba failed miserably in the boxing competition with the
wave of defections bringing about a talent drain. It won only four
silvers and four bronze in the sport following the five golds of Athens
2004.

The Caribbeans also fell short in baseball, with a defeat to South Korea
in the final.

The last time Cuba did not lead Latin American sport in "normal"
Olympics was in 1968 when host country Mexico was 15th and Cuba was 31st.

Cuba boycotted Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988, in which Mexico and
Brazil were respectively the regional leaders.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/227736,sidebar-brazil-overtakes-cuba-as-leader-of-latin-american-sport.html

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