Moisés David Torres, goalkeeper for the Cuban national field hockey team, recounted how he managed to escape from the island's delegation during the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026 and explained why he chose to give up his sporting and academic career to stay in the Dominican Republic.
"If I return to Cuba, prison is what I will face," stated the 21-year-old in an interview with the program "Esto No Es Radio", from ALOFOKE FM 99.3, aired this Monday.
Natural from Las Tunas, Torres was the first Cuban athlete to leave the delegation during the sporting event on July 24.
The athlete described a reality marked by insufficient salaries, inadequate nutrition, and long periods away from his family, despite being part of the national team.
"They pay us 3,500 pesos when the minimum cost of a meal can be 2,000 pesos, 1,000 pesos," he reported.
According to his account, he trained for about four hours a day without receiving adequate nutrition to compensate for the physical effort. Additionally, he lived in a shelter in Havana, about a 14-hour journey from his family, whom he could only visit during certain times of the year.
Torres stated that he shared accommodation with 23 other athletes, all contained within just two rooms.
She had been practicing hockey since she was 12 years old and was in her fourth year of Physical Education, but she decided to leave behind even the possibility of graduating.
"I preferred to be here rather than being a graduate or a university student," he stated.
This is how he escaped from the Cuban delegation
Torres revealed that he had been preparing for his departure for months. Since 2025, he had been in contact via WhatsApp with a Dominican citizen who had offered to help him and provide accommodation.
On July 24, he took advantage of the fact that the delegation's attention was focused on a friendly women's match between Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
To avoid being watched, he stated that he pretended to have received a blow during training and asked for ice. He then pretended to go out to the hallway of the stadium to throw it away.
There his contact was waiting for him. Torres changed his clothes, and together they left the place in a vehicle requested through an app.
"I seized the moment and left," he summarized.
After escaping, individuals linked to Dominican hockey warned him that he was being sought and advised him to disconnect and avoid being located.
The young man also reported that before leaving the delegation, he noticed a Cuban dressed in a Puerto Rican uniform. Torres interpreted his presence as part of the surveillance deployed around the athletes, although he did not provide any evidence to confirm the identity or role of that individual.
"I completely cease to be a person."
The hockey player insists that returning to Cuba is not an option.
"If I return to Cuba, imprisonment is what I would face. Because there is a penal code that is called betrayal of the homeland. What could they give you? Eight years in prison. That is the fear of returning to Cuba," he declared.
Beyond the potential criminal consequences, Torres expressed concern about the impact of having to live under surveillance and reprisals again.
"If I go to Cuba right now, I would completely cease to be a person," he stated.
Currently, he remains in the Dominican Republic without his passport, which, as he reported, was left in the hands of the Cuban delegation upon his arrival in the country. He also has limited contact with his family out of fear that they might face reprisals.
Days after his departure, his brother publicly sought help.
The official Oscar Sánchez Serra, director of the state newspaper Jit and representative of the Cuban delegation, downplayed the issue at that moment, portraying it as a personal decision and stating that Torres had traveled "guaranteed by the Cuban government."
The testimony now provided by the athlete reveals a very different reality.
Torres was not the only one who decided not to return. At least five Cuban athletes left the delegation during the Games in Santo Domingo.
The Dominican government also ordered the departure of nine Cuban diplomats, a decision that some news reports connected to allegations regarding supposed surveillance activities against athletes who left the delegation.
In the midst of uncertainty about his immigration future, Torres left a message for the family that remains in Cuba:
"Let them move forward, for there is a child here who will fight for them."
Related videos:
Filed under: