
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993                   TAG: 9311280124
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

9 MORE CUBANS DEFECT

Nine members of the Cuban delegation at the 17th Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico, including two triple gold medalists, have defected and will seek political asylum in the United States, a Cuban exiles group confirmed Saturday.

Lino Elias Ocana and Emilio Lara Rodriguez, both winners of three gold medals in the weightlifting competition, defected Saturday, according to the Rescue Legion, a group of Cuban exiles that has been helping Cuban athletes and officials defect and seek asylum here.

Emilio Lara Rodriguez is the brother of Pablo Lara, who returned to Havana earlier this week after breaking the world record in the 76-kilogram event. Pablo Lara had dedicated his victory "to my country, to Puerto Rico and to the `Comandante,' " in reference to Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Other defecters, according to Legion vice-president Julito Labatut, include Rolando Sanchez Melendez, an official of the judo delegation, field hockey player Yamile Amaro Vizcaino and two members of the Cuban water polo team, Antonio Perez Sanchez and Jorge Blai Garcia.

Labatut said that three other Cubans had also defected, but would not identify them. He said that of the six identified athletes, four have no relatives or friends in Puerto Rico. They had been transfered from the southern part of the island, where most of the competitions are taking place, to this capital.

Labatut said the nine will hold a press conference Monday, adding that he expects more Cuban athletes and officials to seek asylum here befor the Games end Nov. 30.

Since the Games started on Nov. 19, 25 Cubans in the 931-member delegation have defected, among them 28-year-old softball pitcher Odalys Hernandez, two medal-winning bicyclists, father-and-son members of the archery team, a diver, a bowler, a sharpshooter, the No. 2 security official and a photographer for Cuba's Institute for Sports.

by CNB