"I like my color, and am proud to wear it on my skin. I'm not ashamed of it. I like people because of what they have in their hearts and what they are capable of showing in everything they do, not because of their skin color or nationality. The problem is his, as a person, he cannot control his insatiable ego. I was not affected at all by his disrespect.”
This is how Cuban volleyball star Ailama Cesé, playing for the Russian League’s Uralochka team, responded after Lokomotiv coach Andrei Voronkov directed a racist insult toward her, at halftime during the final match between the two teams. Her squad took second place in the event, providing a stellar ending to her three-year contract with Uralochka, authorized by the Cuban Federation.
She is already home, and stated, “I’m happy with what I have achieved to date, with the person I am. I want to thank all the club staff, my teammates, the coaches and those who have written to me, concerned (about the incident), with messages of support.”
Television cameras captured the disgraceful moment and Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matitsin immediately commented, "Any display of racism or disrespect toward an opponent is inadmissible; in contemporary society there is no room for discrimination on the grounds of race or nationality,” and demanded that the country’s Volleyball Federation sanction Voronkov.
