INDER mourns the loss of Cuban sports glories

The recent deaths of Abel Sarmientos, Imara Valdez and Juan de Dios Machado have caused grief in the Cuban sports family, which treasures them among its glories.

Sarmientos shone as a member of luxury teams, sustained in the elite of world volleyball, with results such as the 1989 Japan World Cup crown and runner-up finishes in the 1991 and 1992 World Leagues.

Imara was the star of handball teams that achieved successes such as the subtitle in the Pan American Games of Rio de Janeiro 2007 and crowns in the continental competitions of Havana 2010 and Central Caribbean of Dominican Republic 2006.

As a boxer, Machado ventured into professional circuits and after the triumph of the Revolution he remained linked to the Cuban Sports System.

"We accompany in their grief the families and friends of Cuban sports glories Abel Sarmiento (volleyball), Imara Valdez (handball) and Juan de Dios Machado (professional boxing), who passed away in the last hours," Inder president Osvaldo Vento Montiller wrote in his X account.