National team was visiting Tampere for Volleyball World League event when incident is said to have occurred

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Six members of Cuba’s national volleyball team are in custody in Finland over an alleged rape at a hotel.

Eight players were arrested at the weekend in the southern town of Tampere, which was hosting a Volleyball World League event.

Police said two players had been released and were no longer suspected of any crime. The remaining six were suspected of aggravated rape. Their names were not released.

During the competition the Cuban team were staying at a centrally located hotel in Tampere that has a popular nightclub in its basement. Police said the rest of the team had not known about the alleged incident and had been allowed to leave the country.

The team’s representatives did not show up at a press conference after their last match on Sunday. Local media tried to approach the players on Sunday before their departure but the team members refused to comment.



The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) said it was very concerned by the allegations. “The FIVB has absolute zero tolerance of any offence committed against another person by any players or officials at an FIVB event,” it said.

“Whilst the FIVB adheres to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, we expect all participants now to respect the due process and ultimate decision of the local and national authorities.”