Cuban Sports Experienced a Transitional 2025

The year 2025 represented the first year of the Olympic cycle for the Cuban sports movement, a period marked by economic challenges stemming from the blockade imposed by the United States government. Over the past 12 months, two fundamental multi-sport events took place: the II Junior Pan American Games in Asunción and the I Junior Parapan American Games held in Santiago de Chile.

Both events served to evaluate the reserve talent pool ahead of the key competitions of the four-year cycle, which will culminate with the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

In this regard, the General Director of High Performance for INDER, José A. Miranda, stated that more than 14 million dollars were allocated to participate in these events, in addition to the qualification processes for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, for which Cuba has already qualified 226 athletes across 16 sports.

"All of this was assumed by the sports organization, and we generated this figure of 14 million through different sources of income," he said.

At the youth Games in the Paraguayan capital, the Cuban delegation finished in 7th place, with 19 gold, 13 silver, and 15 bronze medals—47 in total—placing below the 70 medals won in the first edition held in Cali-Valle in 2021, where Cuba finished 5th.

The organization's leadership assured that the fundamental objectives were met: to evaluate the reserve talent and to qualify the largest possible number of athletes for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima. In total, 17 quotas were secured. Athletics led the way with 8 titles, followed by wrestling and canoeing with 3 each.

Miranda affirmed that future Pan American and Olympic medalists could emerge from this group. "There is the precedent of the first edition of this youth event held in Colombia, which was notably reflected in Santiago 2023," he said.

The Pan American Games in Chile were a clear expression of this sports reserve; 50% of Cuba's gold medals were won by athletes participating in an event of this magnitude for the first time.

In 2025, Cuba also participated in the Junior Parapan American Games held in the Chilean capital. With a delegation of only 27 athletes across 4 sports, 29 medals were achieved, 12 of them gold, positioning the country among the best on the continent.

Individually, the performance of Leyanis Pérez, world champion in the triple jump, stood out during the year, earning her recognition as Cuba's top female athlete. Among male athletes, boxer Julio C. La Cruz, bronze medalist at the world championship, was selected.

Also notable were baseball player Liván Moinelo, MVP of the Japanese League—who became the highest-paid and starred in the standout story of 2025 for Cuban sports—as well as beach volleyball player Jorge Luis Alayo and softball player Yilian Tornés in the collective arena.

Meanwhile, among athletes with disabilities, honors were received by Sulaidy Girat and Robiel Yankiel Sol, both in athletics, and Yadira Lazara Ramos in Judo.

For 2026, all eyes will be on the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo. There, Cuba has a clear goal: "To demonstrate that our sports remain alive and viable, despite limitations. We will also showcase that sports reserve," said Miranda.

The General Director of High Performance acknowledged that there are still areas for improvement. "We are working on the training of human resources and on optimizing the preparation for each sport."

José A. Miranda indicated that another priority is directed toward strengthening talent recruitment. The year 2025 marked the return of the Superior School of Athletic Perfection (ESPA), located in the Cotorro municipality of this capital.

"We are working on the creation of two regional ESPAs, and we also increased the number of technical centers to 10 this year," he added.

Overall, 2025 emphasized foundational development and generational transition, with a focus on scientific innovation. The junior events confirmed the potential of the reserve talent at the start of the Olympic cycle, although challenges persist in key disciplines such as judo, boxing, and baseball.