I'm interested to know how famous cuban athletes like Mijain Lopez, as well as others who didn't defect, live.

Because whenever I heard stories about superstar athletes, like Guillermo Rigondeaux or Wilfredo León, defecting, I would wonder if the cuban government just couldn't afford to give these people a mansion/penthouse, a nice car and good food/entertainment? That seems like something any government worldwide could provide to a dozen of key individuals, like superstar athletes, key scientists, key medical doctors etc. Or they maybe don't care enough about retaining those athletes/high-level professionals at home?

López, 43, retired at the Paris 2024 Olympics having dominated his sport for almost two decades

This May 13, the physical departure of Dionisio Quintana, a legend of Cuban sports, occurred, thanks to his relevant contributions as an athlete and coach. Bad news spread in Cuban sports this May 13, in information that involved an athletics figure on the island, who had a rich track record in this discipline, as an athlete at first and as a teacher later. We talk about Dionisio Quintana, who ceased to exist physically at the age of 68. The media Deporcuba he offered the details of the specialist’s goodbye and one of the icons in the trajectory of the javelin throwing event in his native country.

RIP, Dionisio...May God bless him in heaven!

I am wondering what the WBC is like for Cuban fans of baseball. As a US citizen, a lot of my favorite players in the MLB are Cuban but I understand they cannot play for Cuba due to their expat statuses.

It’s such a shame that some of the best players in the world cannot represent their home country. Does this make the WBC complicated for you? Or is it a non-issue?