Lopez, who was a special guest at the 58th ceremony of the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame held on Sunday, will also participate in the tribute to Gomez by the people of Bani, on the occasion of his 188th birthday, this Monday.

That nation’s independence history cannot be separated from the figure of the Dominican-Cuban general in the Ten Years War (1868-1878) and the general in chief of the Cuban revolutionary troopers in the 1895 war. Gomez was a warrior who used the “machete” (long broad-bladed knife) as if he held a lightning bolt in his hands.

The Cuban wrestling giant will also visit the Maximo Gomez Polytechnic School, which was founded 24 years ago by the idea of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, when he traveled to Bani.

Its director, Cristina Arias, recently told Prensa Latina that the school trains young people in computer science, food industry, marketing, and accounting. After graduating, they could start their working lives or pursue higher education.

Mijain Lopez visited the municipality of Bayaguana, the cradle of that sport in the Dominican Republic, on Saturday, attending a special invitation from the City Council of that city in the province of Monte Plata, which declared him “Adopted Son of the Municipality” and “Honorary Guest.”

jrr/iff/mpv