Havana (AFP)
After years in the shadows, without means or official recognition, Cuban skaters hope to finally be accepted while their sport will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo-2020.
"In 2020, skateboarding goes to the Olympics in Japan and that makes us look for ways to improve, and maybe the government will be more interested in us," says 28-year-old Ariel Gomez, who trains the skatepark artisanal Ciudad Libertad, west of Havana.
In this field, Ariel regularly helps apprentice skaters, with the "objective" that "this sport grow in Cuba".
But even if there are several hundred followers, skateboarding does not officially exist on the socialist island: no federation, no coaches, no dedicated spaces.
For lack of all this, it is impossible for Cuban skaters to compete in the Tokyo-2020 qualifying events, some of which will take place in Los Angeles from July 23rd to 28th.
"We have tried many times to talk with the government, to meet with the Inder (the Cuban Sports Institute, ed) to give us a pitch, but they never wanted," laments Ariel.
- Gifts from abroad -
This non-recognition adds to the other obstacles: in a country where the average monthly salary is around 50 dollars, "there is no shop to buy" the equipment, regrets Roberto José Torres, 22 years old. On the black market, prices are climbing. A skateboard costs $ 50 to $ 100.
Che Alejandro Pando, 46, remembers even harder times. A pioneer of skateboarding in Cuba, it began in the early 1980s, a decade after the sport's fashion hit the streets of California.
"You had to make the skates and, for the wheels, invent, find out how you could do them, for example by using the blades of a Russian kitchen mixer," says this tattoo artist.
At the time, there was "virtually no contact with the imperialist enemy", that is to say the United States, so "even the figures, we had to invent them!"
Despaired by the lack of material, Ariel Gomez had a brilliant idea in 2010: "We started to film ourselves and publish the videos on the internet, asking for help and saying that it would be nice if someone had the opportunity to bring things "on the island.
His message was heard by the global skateboarding community. Skaters have started arriving from Latin America, Europe and the United States.
From now on "everything works thanks to the donations". "We even received monetary donations," he says.
- One day at the Games? -
The money helped build a skatepark in an abandoned building in Ciudad Libertad, a former military garrison converted into a school with the Fidel Castro revolution in 1959.
"We found this abandoned place, filled with rubbish, we cleaned it up and we started building to get a skatepark," says Ariel.
It is a field "created by skaters, for skaters", comments Che Alejandro.
On the smooth granite floor, skaters rush at full speed, alongside ramps, ledges and concrete obstacles, to practice jumps and tricks. An artisanal ground for the moment tolerated by the authorities.
Elsewhere, things are different. "We can not skate in the street", "they stop us, they take us to the police station and they fine us," says 19-year-old Raul Ortega.
A tag on one of the walls of the state skatepark summarizes the atmosphere: "Fuck police", reads in big red letters.
Skateboarding as an Olympic sport? In Cuba, skaters hope that it helps them to be recognized, and that one day, they will be able to wear the colors of their country.
"Maybe me, Raul or another, we could be at the Games one day and win," says Arian Rendueles, 16.
Cautious, Ariel Gomez warns that in skateboarding, "the world level is high" and Cuba accuses "years of delay".
And Che Alejandro doubts him, that "the image of these street skaters", with "tattoos, piercing, long hair and rum drinkers", "is well seen" by the Cuban authorities.
© 2019 AFP