Puerto Rican Volleyball remembers victims of air tragedy

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 2, 2015 – The President of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, Nelson Perez Cruz joined the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee President, Sara Rosario, in a ceremony of remembrance of the members of the women’s national team who tragically died in a plane crash out of the Dominican Republic 45 years ago.

A plaque with the names of the twelve players and two coaches who lost their lives in the disaster occurred on February 15 in 1970, was unveiled at the German Rieckehoff Sampayo Olympic Lodge in the town of Salinas located to the south of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico.

The team had just played a friendly series against its Dominican Republic team in preparation for the XI Central American and Caribbean Games held in Panama when their plane crashed into nearby waters of the Caribbean Sea minutes after taking off from Santo Domingo.

“As soon as the president of the Olympic Committee called us about this special ceremony we confirmed our participation,” Perez said. “We had to be present in this posthumous tribute.”

“It was one of the saddest moments in the history of our sport and today we are recognizing the immortality of the members of that team,” he added.

Carmen Rosa Sabater, the captain of the team who left one day earlier to attend the flag ceremony of the Puerto Rican delegation to the Games, was the only survivor of that national squad.

One week later, Sabater was the Puerto Rican flag bearer in the opening ceremony of the regional games in Panama City.

The ceremony was part of the celebrations of the Women’s Week in Puerto Rico that concluded on Sunday.