Cuban Canoeist May Join Refugee Team for Paris Olympics, Says IOC Spokesperson

The journalist Francys Romero reported on Wednesday that an International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson has confirmed that Olympic canoeing champion Fernando Dayán Jorge is fully entitled to join the refugee team for the Paris 2024 Olympics, despite calls for his "immediate expulsion" from the Cuban government.

"Athletes in the Refugee Olympic Team are selected based on their refugee status, granted by their host country and verified by the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency," a spokesperson for the IOC responded to an inquiry by Cuban sports journalist Miguel Hernández Méndez. Romero shared this statement on his social media platforms. "All competitors in the Olympics, including those in the Refugee Olympic Team, are entitled to freedom of expression in accordance with Olympic values and the Fundamental Principles of the Olympic Games," the statement concluded.

Romero emphasized that Fernando Dayán Jorge has every right to participate with the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, stating that the IOC's response "disproves the absurd demands of the Cuban Olympic Committee to expel Jorge from #Paris2024."

The Cuban Olympic Committee's Dispute with Fernando Dayán Jorge

Recently, the Cuban sports authorities' demand to expel Fernando Dayán Jorge from the refugee team for the Paris 2024 Olympics went viral. The Cuban organization claimed to be in communication with the International Olympic Committee to clarify what they described as an "unfortunate situation."

"The decision to include Cuban athletes in the ROT was made without consulting the Cuban Olympic Committee and with the clear objective of tarnishing the image of our national sports movement, which has brought much glory to our people," the statement said.

Fernando Dayán, who defected from a Cuban delegation in Mexico in 2022 and now resides in Miami, is part of the Refugee Olympic Team along with his compatriot Ramiro Mora Romero, a record-holding weightlifter who lives in London.

The Cuban Olympic Committee (COC) claimed that both athletes were unjustifiably included and accused the ROT of falsely portraying them as athletes "displaced by war or persecution."

The COC stated that it has no objection to Cuban athletes and coaches competing in the Olympics for other countries. However, they specifically targeted Fernando Dayán Jorge, alleging that he has made "disrespectful and false political statements against his country, his people, and the sports movement that enabled him to become an Olympic champion in Tokyo 2020."

"This is a violation of the Olympic Charter and the rules set by the IOC for all Olympic athletes," Cuban authorities said, arguing that the athlete's stance reveals the true political motivation behind his inclusion in the refugee team.

In the final part of their argument, the COC reiterated its strong opposition to the inclusion of Cuban athletes in the Refugee Olympic Team, calling it a "political manipulation of sports."

Canoeist Fernando Dayán Jorge, who entered the United States illegally via the southern border, stated last year from Miami that "it is very sad to know that you cannot fulfill your dream in the place where you were born." He added, "There were many moments when I was disappointed and disagreed with what was happening."