A Castro will be in Beijing

Cuba’s national baseball team arrived in South Korea to train for the Beijing Olympics, accompanied by the son of former president Fidel Castro. The Cubans are among a variety of foreign Olympic squads that have opted to train in South Korea to limit their exposure to China’s notorious pollution. Antonio Castro, 39, who accompanied the team as a physician, declined to talk to journalists at the airport. Castro is also a vice chief of Cuba’s baseball governing body. The 44-member team will leave for China just a day before the Olympics begin on August 8. During its training stint, the team hopes to hone its skills with games against local professional squads. "To the glorious Cuban athletes on their way to the Olympic Games: Go forward, and traveling with you is the love of our people to our native land," was the message Fidel, not known to be keeping good health, had sent in a communique, handed to each player.