The passage of Hurricane Melissa through the province of Las Tunas caused damage to several sports facilities, whose repairs are already being planned by the sector's authorities, after the sports system also fulfilled its role in protecting the population.

Las Tunas, Cuba.– The provincial director of Sports, Esnaido Estanque Jiménez, informed the press that the most affected facility reported as of Thursday is the Leonardo McKenzie Grant multipurpose hall, with damage to its structure, roof, and part of the iron structure.

Other affected facilities are the Julio Antonio Mella Stadium, where three zinc sheets were torn from the third-row bleachers; the Paco Cabrera indoor hall, with one sheet ripped off; and the Physical Culture gymnasium, in the municipality of Jesús Menéndez, where five fiber cement sheets and a small section of bleachers were dislodged. In Jobabo, the Batalla de Palo Seco Stadium also suffered damage to part of the bleacher roof.

Regarding this damage, officials assured that "it can be repaired, there's no problem." Other reports indicated damage to the roof of the baseball stadium in the town of Delicias.

While the population sheltered, INDER recreation staff played a fundamental role at the evacuation centers. The instructors were deployed to these locations to liven up the stay of the protected people by organizing activities that made the wait more bearable.

The Carlos Leyva González School of Sports Initiation (EIDE) was the only sports facility in the province used as an evacuation center, the official concluded.

INDER authorities in Las Tunas have begun a detailed assessment of the damage, and they are already working on planning the necessary repairs to return the sports facilities to the residents of Las Tunas in the best possible condition.

Previously, in anticipation of the hurricane, the Cuban sports movement deferred its events and activated its protection protocols. The National Baseball Commission suspended the subseries of the 64th National Series scheduled for October 28, 29, and 30. The postponed games will be made up during the shortened series, scheduled for December 16-21.

Sports workers and fans in Las Tunas had mobilized and dismantled the mattresses in the safety zone of the Julio  Antonio Mella Stadium in anticipation of Hurricane Melissa.

Preliminarily, the event could resume next Tuesday, November 4, with the games scheduled for that date. Regarding the All-Star Game, scheduled for November 1 and 2, in Holguín, the National Commission clarified that the final decision will be announced after post-hurricane assessments.

Meanwhile, the Cuban Football Association announced the temporary suspension of the Clausura Tournament of the 108th National League, whose current phase is being played in Santiago de Cuba, a region heavily affected by the storm.