Local press is turning the pressure on the Ministry of Sports regarding the case of Central American and Caribbean gold medal winner in high jump Juana Arrendel and her Russian coach. Arrendel’s win is attributed to the successful coaching she received from Russian trainer, Natalia Korotoeva. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Sports has not picked up the bill for the training, and the coach is seriously considering an offer by the Track & Field Association of El Salvador. Korotoeva requests a RD$10,000 a month salary, food allowance, coverage of her cost of local transport, and coverage of the cost of sending her sons to private school. Sports sectors say this is just one of the ironies in this country. While the government invested heavily to win the Pan American Sports Games for year 2003 in Santo Domingo, support to top notch athletes has been lacking. Hoy newspaper that has been following up on the story says that a Ministry of Sports source says that the problem with hiring Korotoeva has been the lack of a bilateral government agreement such as those signed with Cuban coaches, but that the authorities are interested in keeping her in the country.
