French Embassy Stops Nigerian Boxers From Cuba Meet
April 20, 2004
Duro Ikhazuagbe

Seven Nigerian boxers and their officials who were scheduled to leave Lagos last night for Havana, Cuba for a mini Olympic championship could not make the trip yesterday as the French Consular department refused to grant the team transit visas. THISDAYSports learnt that the boxers and their officials who already have the Cuban travel documents needed the transit visas because they were scheduled to fly Air France to Fidel Castro's country.

Canada's Fed Cup team opens qualifying tournament with sweep of Cuba
Mon Apr 19, 8:35 PM ET

PORTO SEGURO, Brazil (CP) - Canada's Fed Cup team downed Cuba 3-0 Monday on the first day of an Americas Zone Group 1 qualifier.

Fed Cup is the international team championship for women similar to the men's Davis Cup.
Canada won both the singles matches and the doubles match Monday.

Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., swept Yanisleidis Calana-Rodriguez 6-2, 6-1. Wozniak is ranked 18th on the International Tennis Federation's junior rankings.

Marie-Eve Pelletier of Repentigny, Que., posted her first Fed Cup singles win with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Cuba's top player, Yanet Nunez-Mojarena.

Pelletier teamed with Melanie Marois of Ste-Foy, Que., to defeat Nunez-Mojarena and Calana-Rodriguez, 6-3, 6-2 in the doubles match.

"This is a great start for our team," Canadian captain Rene Simpson said in a release. "All the girls played really well. We're just going to take it one match at a time and look forward to the challenge."

Canada's fourth team member, Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Que., was en route to Brazil Monday after winning a doubles title in Mississippi Sunday.

Canada will meet Uruguay on Wednesday and will again play two singles matches and a doubles match against that country.

The Americas Zone Group I has been divided into two pools with Canada, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Cuba in one. Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia and El Salvador are in the other.
Canada is seeded first in its pool.

After a round-robin tournament in each pool, the top two countries from each advance to face each other on the weekend.
The top two countries from those playoffs qualify to play in a World Group playoff in July.
Canada is looking to return to the World Group for the first time since 1994.

Cuba-Reiseinfos
avenTOURa