Cuban baseball player defects in Florida
In a statement, the Cuban Baseball Federation confirmed the 22-year-old had "abandoned" the delegation. Prieto left the hotel shortly after he and his teammates had arrived. Cuban athletes have a long history of defecting, with baseball players, ballet dancers and footballers among those who have left their country.
Baseball journalist Francys Romero tweeted that Prieto had jumped into a vehicle shortly after getting off the team bus and was reportedly quickly driven away. In its statement, the Cuban Baseball Federation criticised Prieto's move and said it had generated "repudiation among his colleagues and other members of the delegation."
Prieto joins a long list of athletes who have left Communist-run Cuba, where they are heralded as heroes, but their compensation is a fraction of U.S. professional salaries.
Cuba, which has won three gold medals in baseball, is among eight teams competing for a spot in the Tokyo Olympics in the Florida tournament.
The United States, Cuba, Venezuela, Canada and other countries will play in the qualifying event from Monday to June 5 in West Palm Beach and St. Lucie County.
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