Cuban track and field coach Orlando Gonzalez waving his country's national flag during this year's ceremony to commemorate the terrorist bombing of Cubana Flight 1201 which crashed just off Barbados West Coast on October 6, 1976.

by Tracy Moore

A MISUNDERSTANDING over a bottle of rum may cause respected Cuban coach Bienvenido Orlando Gonzalez not only to lose his job – but also his livelihood.

"I have worked 26 years for my country in places like Ghana, West Africa, and Botswana in Southern Africa and I never had a problem anywhere or at home in Cuba,"he said.

The unfortunate incident he was referring to occurred last Saturday when the 47-year-old went before the local courts over the theft of a bottle of rum costing $4.85.

What resulted was proven to be a misunderstanding between himself and Jordan's Supermarket, and although the matter was thrown out of court with no charges laid, letters of apologies were written to Gonzalez from the supermarket, and he personally made the effort to apologise for any misunderstanding, life as he knows it will change considerably.

"I do not usually drink, but I went to buy the alcohol because my father died on the 20th, the day my son was born and then my 12-year-old son died on the 20th of November. So I always have a small drink on the 20th of each month in remembrance of them both.

"This, however, is embarrassing for everybody with my name in the papers like this. It is embarrassing for Barbados, for my country, for my ambassador.

"I can be without a job that I have worked at for so many years when I return to Cuba. Cuban people are honest people; we help many people. This is why I went in person to apologise for the confusion," he said.

For the past ten months, Gonzalez has worked with the National Sports Council as a track and field coach under contract between the Cuban and Barbadian Governments.

He was replacing the Cuban coaches who worked on the last four-year contractand was hoping to work his two years without incident, with the expectation of extending it for another two years.

"At this moment Barbados has been my second country but this incident is bad for everybody," he said.

According to his interpreter, Maj-britt Waagenes, he has been summoned to return to Cuba Thursday morning, at which time he will have to apologise again to his country and try to prove his innocence to Cubadeportes S/A (Cuban's Sports Council) for something he did not do.

"When I go home it is like a broken contract in my case and I will have to go home and face that," he lamented.

However, as from yesterday Gonzalez was appealing to the Cuban ambassador and Cubadeportes S/A to allow him to stay in Barbados to complete his contract.

"Many schools here will lose my help. The Barbados National Sports Council needs me here," he said sadly. tracymoore@
nationnews.com