The journalist and sports commentator Julita Osendi reported this Friday the spread on social media of a false photo that aims to depict Alberto Juantorena in a state of abandonment and severe malnutrition. In a post published on her Facebook account, Osendi rejected the image, which she labeled as "false and degrading," and assured that the two-time Olympic champion is well cared for and surrounded by his family and friends.
The viral image shows an elderly person with extreme thinness, visible bones, worn clothes, and sitting on a bed with blue sheets. It circulated under the headline "Breaking News Cuba" with the title "Alberto Juantorena: From the Olympic Podium to Abandonment," and was shared by opponents, artists, and social media users who, in light of the real news regarding the deteriorating health of the two-time Olympic champion, accepted the identification without verifying it.
A Facebook user, Yusmila Reyna Ferrera, compared that image with a real photograph published by Cubanet in 2024—which does show Juantorena in a wheelchair and very thin—and consulted artificial intelligence, which determined it was not the same person. Another user, Carlos Miguel Mateos Rosaenz, shared the photo expressing clear doubts: "I hope it's not him. But it wouldn't be surprising if it were. Many sports legends in the country have ended their lives like this."
Osendi confirmed that the legendary athlete is indeed facing a serious illness: "Alberto is sick, very sick, with a degenerative, irreversible, painful condition; however, contrary to what has been reported, Juantorena is well cared for, surrounded by the love of his family and lifelong friends, including those from the Cuban athletics community."
The commentator also accompanied her post with a recorded interview from decades ago featuring Juantorena himself, in which the athlete recounts his legendary comeback in the 4x400 relay at the 1982 Central American Games in Havana, when he received the baton with a disadvantage of 25 to 30 meters and managed to surpass the Jamaican runner Carl Smith. "As I search for the reason behind that victory, I honestly can't imagine it now; I can't define where I found that strength," Juantorena says in the recording.
For Osendi, spreading such images is a violation of the athlete's dignity: "Disseminating images that invade a person's privacy in moments of vulnerability is a disrespect to their dignity and to their immense history."
INDER also issued an official statement on Friday denying the image and the narrative. The organization assured that Juantorena "receives the medical, familial, and institutional attention that his condition demands" and was adamant in its rejection: "They lie with cynicism, hatred, and a lack of sensitivity. The image and the narrative are false."
Juantorena, considered the greatest athlete in the history of Cuba, is the only man who has won both the 400 and 800 meters in the same Olympic Games, a feat he accomplished in Montreal 1976 with world records in both events. His health deterioration has been progressively documented since 2022, when he was hospitalized in critical condition due to dengue and post-COVID complications. In March 2026, journalist Yasel Porto reported a diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease, and commentator Héctor Villar reported that he was in critical condition.
This episode is not the first of its kind: in October 2026, INDER already had to deny reports about the supposed neglect of former world boxing champion Bernardo Comas, in a pattern that repeats with Cuban sports legends.
Osendi concluded his message with a call for respect towards the man who inspired generations of Cubans: "Today, far from sensationalism and misinformation, Alberto Juantorena Danger deserves all the respect, privacy, and eternal affection of the millions of Cubans he moved with his triumphs."
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