The National Institute of Sports (INDER) of Cuba issued a statement this Friday to refute a post circulating on social media with false images and claims regarding the health status of Alberto Juantorena, the legendary two-time Olympic champion known as "El Caballo."
In a statement published on its official Facebook account, INDER described both the image and the accompanying narrative as false, and assured that the athlete "receives the medical, family, and institutional attention required by his condition, all within a privacy that deserves respect."
The discredited publication circulated under the headline "Última Hora Cuba." Its title read: "Alberto Juantorena: From the Olympic Podium to Abandonment," accompanied by the subtitle "Shock Over the Serious Deterioration of the Legendary Cuban Athlete."
The image showed him extremely thin and sick. However, the INDER was blunt in its response: "They lie from cynicism, hatred, and a lack of sensitivity. The image and the narrative are false."
Juantorena, born in Santiago de Cuba on December 3, 1950, is the only athlete in Olympic history to have won both the 400 and 800 meters in the same Games.
He achieved it in Montreal 1976, where he set world records in both events: 1:43.50 in the 800 meters and 44.26 seconds in the 400 meters.
The deterioration of his health has been documented progressively over the past few years. In August 2022, he was reported in critical condition due to dengue and complications arising from COVID-19.
Since late 2023, it became known that he used a wheelchair and had difficulties speaking, and a leaked photograph in December 2024 revealed him with a significant weight loss.
In March 2026, sports journalist Yasel Porto reported, citing close sources, that Juantorena is suffering from a neurodegenerative illness, although no official source has confirmed the specific diagnosis. Days later, commentator Héctor Villar reported that the athlete was in critical condition.
In May of this year, Juantorena was relieved of his presidency of the Cuban Paralympic Committee— a position he held since 2015— and was appointed honorary lifetime president.
The denial made this Friday is not an isolated case. In October, the INDER had already had to refute the neglect of another Cuban sports hero, former world boxing champion Bernardo Comas, following a pattern that repeats itself in response to complaints about the situation of former athletes like Gaspar Casamayor or the wife of Olympic champion Andrés Aldama.
The tension between the official narrative of institutional care and independent reports on the real conditions of the glories of Cuban sports remains unresolved, while INDER insists that Juantorena's case "deserves respect" for his privacy.
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