It’s a US-Cuba battle and India has a role to play.The Indian Left may not have started lobbying yet but Cuba has sought the country’s support in its efforts to win the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) elections scheduled for March.What gives the offer an interesting twist is the fact that even its arch rivals US has pitched in, although in an informal way. The Cuban embassy has sent a letter to the ministry seeking its support in the elections to the apex body of the sport that both the US and Cuba claim their own. Fidel Castro’s country’s candidate for the job is a former sports minister of the country though it has not been officially conveyed yet.Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar told The Indian Express at the Idea Exchange on Tuesday that the Cuban Ambassador has informally told him that his country, the Olympic champions, could help India develop the sport.The bitter rivalry between George Bush’s US and Castro’s Cuba is the stuff baseball lore is made of. Bush even made one attempt to bar Cuba from participating from the World Baseball Classic tournament in Puerto Rico early last year.The Ministry has sought the MEA’s opinion on Cuba’s offer. Though there is no official request yet from the US, a baseball club from the country has already offered help to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs in nurturing the almost-invisible sport in the country. A team from the club is to meet the ministry officials.
