Summary

TAPE_NUMBER: EF00/1098 IN_TIME: 20:40:38 - 21:33:11 LENGTH: 01:47 SOURCES: CUBAVISION RESTRICTIONS: FEED: VARIOUS (THE ABOVE TIME-CODE IS TIME-OF-DAY) SCRIPT: Natural Sound XFA A satisfied President Castro greeted Cuba's national baseball team and other athletes as national heroes on Friday as the first section of the country's Olympic delegation returned from Sydney. Although the baseball team was knocked from its championship throne and had to settle for the silver, and former high-jump champion Javier Sotomayor also ended in second place, Castro did have something to glad about - as of Friday afternoon, there had been no reports that a single athlete or other member of the Cuban delegation had defected during the Sydney games. Castro, dressed in his typical olive green uniform, embraced every member of the delegation as they stepped onto Cuban soil. "Welcome to your homeland: champions of dignity," read a large banner that was hung from the side of the international terminal. "Returning with glory to the homeland," read another. Cuban salsa music blared from speakers and hundreds of sports fans cheered and waved as the aeroplane exit was opened and the athletes emerged. The communist government had worked hard to prevent defections during the Olympics, and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque gave the group a particularly rough speech, shown live on state television. He told them that the country was more with concerned about their loyalty than gold medals. At the airport Perez Roque congratulated the athletes upon returning "with the glory of the homeland". But Castro's pleasure at the return of his nation's finest athletes was tempered in his address to the athletes and gathered crowds which implied corruption at the Olympics had robbed Cuba of medals they deserved. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): "No one should be downcast. Now, what we need to do, is perfect everything. Because we know what the Olympics are like today - I'm not going to talk about it: how they have completely commercialized it; how certain sports have been so corrupted, because they have done it with boxing, where really we only lost one or two medals - the others were stolen from us." SUPER CAPTION: Fidel Castro, Cuban President The Cubana airlines flight that arrived on Friday afternoon carried 245 athletes, trainers and other members of the Olympics team. Gold medalist Anier Garcia, who beat three Americans in the men's 110-metre hurdles, carried the red, white and blue Cuban flag as he led the delegation down the airplane steps. He was accompanied by Filiberto Azcuy, who won the gold in Greco-Roman wrestling; and women judo champions Legna Verdecia, in the 52-kilogram category and Sibelis Veranes, 70 kilograms. SHOTLIST: Havana, Cuba 29 September, 2000 1. Wide shot of Cuban President Fidel Castro walks out of airport building to greet athletes 2. Medium crowd on terrace awaiting athletes 3. Close athletes exit plane, embraced by Castro 4. Medium Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque addressing athletes Wideshot of Perez Roque 5. Close athletes 6. Medium Castro addressing athletes 7. Wideshot athletes 8. Various of athletes 9. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Fidel Castro, Cuban President 10. Various of athletes greeted by children 11. Close Kangaroo doll on bag 12. Pan from athletes walking on tarmac to supporter at airport 13. Athletes walking towards terminal building?