Cuba arrives at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026 with the stated goal of finishing among the top three countries in the overall medal count, as confirmed by authorities and sports specialists during a broadcast of the program Mesa Redonda.
The official planning, presented in that television space, states that the Cuban delegation aims to win at least 67 gold medals, a figure that would enable it to compete for top positions in the overall rankings of the event, which takes place from July 24 to August 8 in the Dominican Republic.
Athletics leads expectations with 12 projected gold medals, the highest share of any discipline in the Cuban goals plan. It is followed by shooting with seven golds, and canoeing, judo, wrestling, and boxing, each with six.
In the program, participants included the methodologist from the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (INDER), Víctor Corona; the Olympic shot put champion Yumileidis Cumbá; and journalists Carlos Hernández Luján and Norland Rosendo, who analyzed the strengths and challenges of the delegation.
The registered delegation for Santo Domingo 2026 brings together 504 athletes —276 men and 228 women— across 37 disciplines, with an average age of 25 years and three months, representing 15 provinces and 104 municipalities in the country.
Of that group, 173 athletes, equivalent to 34.3%, had already competed in previous editions of the JCC, which brings experience to a delegation that will compete in 356 of the 497 events scheduled.
Cuban aspirations, however, suffered a last-minute blow: Erislandy Álvarez, Olympic boxing champion in the 63.5 kg category at Paris 2024, will not be present in Santo Domingo after undergoing emergency surgery.
Its absence is particularly felt in boxing, a discipline where Cuba was expected to secure six gold medals, and it deprives the delegation of one of its most prominent figures, who won the Olympic gold in Paris by defeating the Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha by split decision in the final.
Cuban sports is also facing a structural crisis marked by the defection of athletes. In July 2026, nine out of the 12 members of the Cuban canoeing team defected in Montreal during a competition leading up to the games, in one of the most notable incidents in recent months.
Despite these setbacks and limitations, the authorities remain optimistic about the upcoming regional event. The most recent precedent is San Salvador 2023, where Cuba ranked third in the medal table with 74 golds, 59 silvers, and 63 bronzes, trailing behind Mexico and Colombia, a result that serves as a benchmark for the goals of this edition.
The designated flag bearers for Santo Domingo 2026 are the athlete Leyanis Pérez, world champion in triple jump, and the wrestler Luis Orta, during a ceremony presided over by Díaz-Canel on July 18.
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