At the University of Camagüey “Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz” (UC) the second semesters of the study program are nuanced by the Taino Sports Games, a competition in which the faculties compete for about 15 days.

The Taínos are almost as long-lived as UC itself. According to the journalist Alexei Napoles in his personal blog “El Olímpico de Cuba”, the first edition of these sporting events dates back to 1972, when on November 30th at 8:30 p.m., baseball player Sol Miguel Cuevas made the inaugural pitch at the Cándido González baseball stadium.

The first logo that identified the games was designed in 1972 by the Livestock Engineering student, Modesto Ponce Hernández. Modesto himself, in 1980, already a professor at the then Faculty of Animal Science, made a version of the logo that accompanied the competitions until 2008, when the student Guillermo Paz modernized it without changing the elements of the composition.

The competition

Some of the best athletes in different disciplines of the territory have passed through the Taínos. It has also served to discover talent and raise the level of the UC sports teams, to the point that on one occasion the basketball team won first place in the Provincial Championship of that sport. In addition, impressive marks have been seen for non-professionals, such as when the student Pedro Pérez Cantero completed the 100-meter dash in just 10.60 seconds.

For sure, it is difficult to say which faculty has obtained the greatest number of titles, since over the years their names and the careers that constitute them have changed, however, it is valid to highlight that in recent times the Faculty of Physical Culture is widely dominant.

The Taíno Interfaculty Sports Games always become a magnificent student party, a healthy rivalry that unites students from all careers outside the fields, to continue giving life to one of the most enjoyed traditions of Camagüey University.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García