Dominican Olympic silver medallist Marileidy Paulino has appealed to President Luis Abinader to intervene so her coach can become a Dominican. Recently, the Presidency has announced the conceding of fast-tracked privileged Dominican nationality to dozens of outstanding persons, including many prominent business people.
She says this will facilitate her continuing her training. Her coach, Yaseen Perez Gomez is Cuban.
Under his training, and despite the pandemic, Paulino was a key part of the Dominican Republic’s mixed 4×400 relay team that won the silver in the Tokyo Olympics (Anabel Medina, Lidio Andres Feliz and Alexander Ogando, and Marileidy Paulino) and in the 400 meters dash.
As reported in Listin Diario, Yaseen Pérez came to the Dominican Republic in 2013 when then Sports Minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal recruited Cuban coaches to develop sports in border provinces.
The 41-year old Perez Gomez is now working with several world class Dominican athletes — Marileidy Paulino, Jean Carlos Martinez, Anabel Medina and Christopher Valdez.
Yet his wife, Lucimae León López and their 13-year-old son, Yassen Gabriel Pérez León, still reside in Cuba.
Perez Gomez says he wants to continue working here. “Here I feel at home and I think I am making a contribution,” says Perez, who is a graduate of the Physical Education School in Cuba. At 14, Perez was part of Cuba’s national team, but had to drop the sport when suffering a significant injury.
Paulino has appealed to the President via social media. “I am very ashamed to have to make use of social networks to express the lack of commitment, responsibility and attention that the competent authorities have.
@luisabinader. There is much to improve, I trust that you will do something about it and find a solution,” she wrote in her appeal.
Read more in Spanish:
El Dia
Listin Diario
28 February 2022