Cubans with next challenge at Pan American Badminton Championship

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 21 (ACN) After the 22nd edition of the Giraldilla International Tournament of Havana, the next challenge for Cubans will be the Pan American Badminton Championship, to be held in Guatemala April 10-13, which will close the Olympic qualification process in the continent.

Cuba is expected to attend this important event with five racquet players, led by Taymara Oropesa, bronze medalist at the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile 2023, and winner of the silver medal at the Central Caribbean Games in San Salvador, also last year.

On Sunday, Oropesa won the women's singles title in the Giraldilla and the silver medal in the women's doubles, along with Brazil's Fabiana Silva.

Orlando Cala, national commissioner of that sport, told the Cuban News Agency that once the continental competition is over, the representatives of the island will compete at the new Pan American beach tournament of the same discipline.

Cala pointed out that the on-court competition will award 7,000 points for the world ranking to the winners in each of the five events, singles and doubles in both sexes, as well as in mixed doubles.

He explained that the badminton players must accumulate more than 1,000 units for the world ranking just by passing one round, which is why it is of great importance for Oropesa, who still has options to guarantee his ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Completing the group of the Caribbean nation in both events are the female Leyanis Contreras, along with Roberto Carlos Herrera, Juan Carlos Bencomo, Leandro Gil and Diosbel Tamayo, in the men's division.