Mario Quintero

Mario Quintero played basketball for Cuba at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. He also competed at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games, won a bronze medal at that tournament in 1950, and competed at the first Pan American Games in 1951.

Quintero later became much better known as a coach and referee, and in 1953 he was the first Cuban to receive international referee certification. He coached the Cuban women’s national team at the 1953 and 1956 World Championships, and the men’s team from 1959-68. He refereed in over 1,000 international games, including at the 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympics, the 1974 and 1978 World Championships, at three Pan American Game, and four Central American and Caribbean Games.