Cuba has officially registered 504 competitors across 42 sports disciplines for the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, which are set to begin on July 24 in the Dominican Republic’s capital. The island will participate in 356 of the 497 events on the program, closing out the registration schedule established by organizers, though final rosters remain subject to technical meetings prior to competition in each sport.

The completed figure carries special significance given the ongoing impacts of U.S. government hostility, which have directly affected Cuba’s athletic preparation. José Antonio Miranda Carrera, Director General of High Performance at INDER, underscored this point during the registration process held at the Central American Village.

“This is the fruit of the tremendous effort put forth by athletes, coaches, medical teams, researchers, logistics personnel, and many other specialists and workers in general,” he stated.

Miranda explained that while the final total did not reach the 506 quotas originally secured—due to adjustments in canoeing and the last-minute elimination of certain diving events—the current number still surpasses the 494 competitors sent to San Salvador 2023, a sign of the continued vitality of Cuba’s sports system.

He also highlighted the team’s strengthened resolve in the face of limitations that hampered multiple areas of preparation, resulting from the U.S.-imposed economic, commercial, and financial blockade, as well as energy restrictions. “That is the spirit with which we will face the challenge of remaining among the top three nations in the medal standings,” Miranda asserted, estimating that Cuba could secure some 70 gold medals and earn a significant number of berths for the Lima 2027 Pan American Games, which will be distributed across 19 sports.

Miranda praised the rigor of the technical-methodological work designed according to each team’s available resources, and emphasized the priority given to science and innovation through partnerships with other agencies and institutions.

Several Cuban delegations are already training on Dominican soil, including women’s volleyball, judo, shooting, weightlifting, and triathlon. He announced that the water polo teams will arrive on July 19, with their competitions scheduled to mark Cuba’s first competitive action the following day.

Three years ago, the top of the overall standings was led by Mexico (145 gold, 108 silver, 100 bronze), followed by Colombia (87-92-65) and Cuba (74-59-63). Historically, Cuba leads the all-time medal count (1,925 gold, 1,020 silver, 809 bronze), ahead of Mexico (1,513-1,439-1,279) and Venezuela (625-878-1,067).