Havana/More than three years have passed since he was offered a house in Matanzas, but the world judo champion (2022) Andy Granda is still waiting. “Another unfulfilled promise” of housing, denounced the official journalist Pavel Otero. Previously, the cases of baseball players Yadián Martínez in Mayabeque and Yordanis Alarcón in Las Tunas were reported.
According to the communicator, upon his return from the event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the authorities “offered Granda some options for houses, but these did not meet the appropriate construction conditions” and he rejected them.
The judoka preferred “a piece of land to build his home from scratch,” with the commitment that he would have the support of the provincial authorities for its construction. As a world medalist he received 1,250 Cuban pesos monthly (less than two dollars at the current official floating exchange rate). “He cannot raise his house with his personal income because we know well what the salary of our athletes is like,” the communicator stressed.
“We know that the country does not have the resources to cover the housing needs and other personal issues of all athletes… However, with those figures who are the most relevant in their sport, we must look for alternatives to prioritize them,” Otero considered.
Despite the fact that high-performance athletes received an increase in their monthly income and since last July the delivery of 5,590 pesos was agreedless than 10 dollars, the amount is still insufficient compared to the behavior of prices and the cost of the basket of goods and services on the Island.
After the case of Yordanis Alarcón was made public in Las Tunas, the baseball player was contacted by the authorities to begin his process.
After the case of Yordanis Alarcónin Las Tunas, the baseball player was contacted by Governor Yelenis Tornet Menéndez and the provincial director of Housing Héctor Rodríguez Espinosa. They assured him that they would “start the procedures” for his property.
In January 2023, the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation informed him that “it did not have housing availability to satisfy his request.”
The first secretary of the PCC in the province Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez He acknowledged the baseball player’s current claim, but clarified that it was not because the home where he resides is in poor condition, “on the contrary, it is a spacious apartment (three rooms) and in an area where it has 24-hour power and almost permanent water.” In addition, he specified that “this house had been granted to him by the Government, some years ago.”
The official stated that since last September 2, Alarcón was offered a home, but “he did not agree.” The highest authorities, in addition to the baseball player’s case, have yet to “complete Héctor Castillo’s property and deliver it before starting the National Series.” They also have the commitment to “adapt a location in the Manatí municipality to give as a house to Yudier Rondón” and look for an alternative solution for former pitcher Alejandro Menese to reside.
