Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, President of the Cuban Baseball Federation, expressed optimism regarding Cuba’s participation in the upcoming VI World Baseball Classic, noting that the country is awaiting authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Speaking with the press at the Adolfo Luque Hall of the Latin American Stadium, the official stated that until this authorization arrives, no action can be taken related to the premier national team event in the sport.

“We have been told in the exchanges with the organizers that we cannot address anything related to the Classic until we sign the contract,” Pérez Pardo explained.

He added that the interest extends not only to calling up Cuban players who reside abroad, but also to coaches, as well as athletes not born in Cuba but with Cuban ancestry.

“They are residents, naturalized Americans, coaches who do not live in our country. Cuba faces a different situation from other nations, which have already received permission to participate in the tournament. We are the only ones who do not yet have confirmed attendance. But we remain optimistic and believe we will be allowed to compete, just as in the five previous editions,” he said.

The National Baseball Commissioner also voiced concern about disciplinary issues at the start of the 64th National Series. “We must implement a set of measures, and among them we have drafted a document that will be submitted to INDER leadership for approval, to incorporate into the regulations,” he noted.

Pérez Pardo further clarified the circumstances behind the postponement of the Ciego de Ávila–Las Tunas subseries, which was affected by accommodation issues in Las Tunas province. “Before drafting the schedule, we asked the territories to inform us of potential conflicts so that we could plan accordingly. Scheduling is quite complex and depends on many factors, such as transportation, minimizing consecutive away games, and balancing travel distances as fairly as possible. Some provinces failed to provide timely notice, so we made adjustments. When Las Tunas raised this situation, the calendar had already been approved and it was not possible to find other solutions,” he explained.

“What alternatives were considered? Within the province itself, no lodging was available. We tried Holguín and Granma, but games were already being held there, so there was no capacity. We even discussed relocating the series with Ciego de Ávila, but that too proved impossible,” Pérez Pardo concluded.