Nicaraguan unrest cuts short Ripken clinic
Protesters block major roads after Sandinista party wins local election
 | Cal Ripken Jr. gives a high-five to a Nicaraguan child during an instruction session in Managua, Nicaragua on Friday. |
Mayerling Garcia / AP |
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MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Cal Ripken Jr.’s baseball clinic for Nicaraguan youth was canceled by its sponsors Tuesday because protests surrounding local election results were hindering travel.
Ripken and his former Baltimore Orioles teammate Dennis Martinez, a Nicaraguan native, provided instruction to 300 children and 60 youth coaches in Managua and Granada since last week. They were scheduled to give their final clinic in Leon.
But the program sponsors canceled the last day of the tour because protesters were blocking major roads in Leon and they were concerned parents and the youths would not be able to attend, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Kristin Stewart said.
Opposition party supporters are claiming election fraud and have clashed with leftist Sandinista party supporters, blocked roads and held protests since the Nov. 9 municipal elections.
Ripken was named American Public Diplomacy Envoy for the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2007.
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