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The Cuban pairs of beach volleyball, comprised of Noslen Díaz–Jorge Luis Alayo and Damián Gómez–Eblis Veranes, are already in Australia, where they will compete in the Beach Volleyball World Championship, scheduled from November 14 to 23 in Adelaide.
However, their journey began in the worst way: the athletes spent the night sleeping on the floor of an airport, as revealed by the specialized page CubanSp1ke on Facebook.
"Today is when the guys arrive at the World Cup venue. Yesterday, they slept comfortably on the floor of the airport. You know how it is, going to seek 'great results,'" the post joked, referring to the shortcomings and lack of institutional support that often accompany Cuban athletes.
The two couples flew on November 9 from Havana to Australia, with a stop in Madrid, and they may have had more than one connection before finally arriving in Adelaide, a detail that remains unknown.
The Olympians Díaz and Alayo, Cuba's strong card
The main duo, Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Díaz, arrives at the World Championship as the best pair from Cuba and one of the most consistent teams on the international circuit. During the 2025 season, they achieved gold at the Elite 16 in Playa del Carmen and silver in Rio de Janeiro, results that establish them as serious contenders, although not among the favorites for the podium, according to an analysis by CubanSp1ke.
In the group stage, the Cubans will compete in Group F, where they will debut this Friday against Benin (Yacoubou–Tohouegnon). They will then face New Zealand (Fuller–O’Dea) and conclude the regular stage against Portugal (Pedrosa–Campos) on November 17.
A challenge to the world powers
Although Díaz and Alayo have Olympic experience and a high competitive level, the challenge will be immense, as the World Championship brackets include teams from Norway, Sweden, the United States, Brazil, and Germany, countries that have dominated the international podiums for the past five years.
The second Cuban pair, Gómez–Veranes, will also seek to advance in the tournament despite their lesser experience in top-tier events.
The other side of Cuban sports
The episode of the volleyball players sleeping on the floor encapsulates the structural decline of the sport in Cuba, where a lack of resources, logistical support, and planning affects even high-performance athletes competing on the global stage.
While the regime tries to present these participations as achievements of the "sports revolution," the reality shows athletes traveling in undignified conditions, without support or the minimum logistics required for international competition.
The Adelaide World Cup will be, for Cubans, a sporting battle, but also a test of personal endurance, symbolizing what many athletes experience as they continue to represent a country in ruins.
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