Christian Youth Association presents book on sports

José Aurelio Paz, HAVANA, Cuba, October 6, 2003

The presentation of the book: YMCA of Havana:  Sports Memorial 1905-1910 by historian Carlos E. Taxi Heathrow Airport Reig Romero was a significant contribution to the history of Cuban sports, said the Rev. Hector Mendez.

The book was presented September 30 in the Cuban Christian Youth Association (ACJ) headquarters, with the participation of sports, cultural, Church and ecumenical representatives.

Mendez, secretary general of the ACJ, voiced his gratitude to the author for the in-depth investigation of the mark that the YMCA made when it entered the country at the beginning of the 20th Century.

He said that the merit of the book, which covers the years 1905-1910, is that they give this organization the recognition it deserves as one of the main promoters of sports in Cuba, with the application of new techniques.

For his part, Professor Reig Romero spoke about how difficult it was to gather the material given that there is no recorded history of Cuban sports and the bibliographical material is scarce and very disperse. As a result he turned to press archives that were frequently deteriorated due to problems related to conservation.

The book, published by the Latin American Council of Churches’ (CLAI) Communications Department, includes 10 chapters about the work of this youth organization in promoting sports such as gymnastics, fencing, basketball, volleyball among others.

The first YMCA was organized by a group of 12 young people in London on June 6, 1844 in order to help their contemporaries deal with life in the cities, prostitution, alcoholism and other vices. The YMCA is considered the first international ecumenical organization.

In 1904, according to the book, the Foreign Division sent an expert in mission to create a chapter in Cuba. A year and a half later the YMCA of Cuba was inaugurated in Prado Street. It operated for nearly 70 years, with two interruptions between 1910 and 1916 and 1940 and 1991. In 1991 it reinitiated its work at the initiative of the Rev. Mendez, based in the First Presbyterian Reform Church of La Havana.

In this Church there is also a library on religious themes, the “Telephone Friend” program, the first psychological and pastoral hotline experience in Cuba and a baseball team.

YMCA of Havana, a Sports Memorial 1905-1910 will be distributed for free and includes two volumes. It also includes important photographic testimony.