José Llanusa Gobel

Cuban athlete and politician. Known as El Flaco. First director of INDER. He was a member of Cuba's National Basketball Team and coach of the team that represented the Island at the Central American Games in Mexico in 1954.

He was chief of the Revolutionary Movement 26 of July in New York (Hotel Belvedere location) and upon his return to Cuba in February 1959 he held various responsibilities. He was Commissioner of Havana, Minister of Education, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power. As president of INDER, he executed the sports policy outlined by the Revolution against professionalism, including the cessation of Cuba's professional baseball league. For his contribution to revolutionary sports, he was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in Physical Culture and Sports Sciences.

When the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba decided to eliminate the position of Municipal Mayor and create that of Commissioner, Llanusa was appointed Commissioner of Havana. He was also Minister of Education, Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power and first head of INDER. From that position he abolished professional boxing in Cuba in 1961.

He competed as an athlete at the London Olympic Games in 1948 as part of Cuba's National Basketball Team and won a bronze medal at the Pan-American Games in Guatemala in 1950.

In 1954 he was the coach of the basketball team that attended the Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico.

His loyalty to Fidel and the Revolution brought him various responsibilities and tasks following the triumph of January 1st, 1959. He was Commissioner of Havana, Minister of Education, member of the first Central Committee of the Party, Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power and first head of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation, created on February 23, 1961.

Llanusa executed the sports policy outlined by Fidel, from the triumph of free baseball over slave baseball, including the epic battle waged by the Delegation of Dignity that attended the memorable Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico '66.

Massive participation, volunteer councils, activists, LPV tests, participation regime, first victories in the international arena, and many other scenarios bear the mark of Llanusa. For all this, Revolutionary Sport awarded him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in Physical Culture Sciences.

He also assumed the responsibility of director of a Dairy Plan in the province of Matanzas in the last years of his life.

He died on July 14, 2007 in Havana after a long and painful illness.