U.S. Basketball Team’s Shuttle to Florida Draws Some Fire

The U.S. men’s basketball team’s decision to leave the Pan American Games for more than two days and practice in Miami was met by sharp criticism by some athletes here Wednesday, while the woman in charge of the U.S. delegation said she was not told about the decision and unwittingly misinformed Cuban officials about U.S. plans.

U.S. officials also said Wednesday that 12 American cyclists left Havana for a training site in Homestead, Fla., Sunday following their competition and won’t return until this Sunday for their final competition.

Both the basketball team and the cyclists are being shuttled by planes ferrying U.S. athletes, coaches, officials and journalists to and from Havana.

The departures didn’t sit well with some in the athletes’ village.

“The American team should have respect for all the teams,” said Argentine team handball player German Jorge Lodola. “Everybody stays in the same village. They should respect the ideology of the village.”

But Andrea Lloyd, a member of the U.S. women’s basketball team, said the men’s decision didn’t bother her. “They’ll probably eat better and be better prepared,” she said. “People say we’re spoiled and it’s probably true.”