Havana, October 3 (JIT) - All the members of the delegation that will represent Cuba in the XIX Pan American Games of Santiago 2023 are in optimal health.

During the check-ups carried out so far, no medical problems have been detected, as confirmed by Dr. Yamil Gutiérrez Jorge, deputy director of the Institute of Sports Medicine, during a preparatory seminar for the specialized press.

"The state of health of the delegation is not a worrying problem, despite the fact that the Games will be held on an unusual date and the modifications adopted," specified the also chief doctor of the national weightlifting team.

"This has been an atypical year. For the first time we have taken on two multisport games with very few months of difference, although on the medical side that favored us, because the follow-up has been continuous. The controls were planned for this short period of time", explained the specialist.

He mentioned as a strength that the Cuban sports system maintains the work of the medical triad integrated by the doctor, the psychologist and the physiotherapist.

The follow-up of prioritized athletes, the scientific linkage between the IMD and other specialized centers, such as the Cuban Sports Research Center (CIDC) and the Frank País, Cimeq and Ramón Pando Ferrer hospitals, have also influenced the optimal health of the more than 380 athletes who must compete in the Chilean capital.

"We have had to face some negative situations, such as the deficit of medicines, reagents and supplies, in addition to the lack of nutritional supplements, although the latter have been replaced with those of national production for about a year", Gutiérrez Jorge pointed out.

In that sense, he referred to the range of PORMÁS products, which have served to provide coverage with proven benefits for high-performance athletes on the island.

In another moment of the exchange, the doctor distinguished the medical follow-up carried out on the athletes with the best chances of winning medals.

This research has included cardiological, endocrine-metabolic and traumatological studies, all carried out without interrupting the preparations for each sport. He mentioned as the only case of a recurrent injury the one suffered by taekwondoka Rafael Alba, for which reason it was decided to preserve him for the Olympic Games of Paris 2024.

Yamil clarified that due to the shortage of sample collection bottles, Cuba will not have anti-doping controls performed on all its representatives in Santiago 2023. In that section also the priority will fall on the possible medalists, although the educational work on the subject has covered all the members of the delegation.

"We have no solution for the acquisition of those vials before the Games begin. That is why we have redoubled our efforts in anti-doping education, something that can help us a lot," he ratified, convinced of the importance of knowledge in these matters.

The Island's delegation that will travel to the Chilean capital will have Dr. Pablo Castillo as head of a group made up of five other doctors, six physiotherapists, a traumatologist and two psychologists.

Of the latter specialists, Gutiérrez Jorge highlighted the value of their accompaniment throughout the preparation process, thanks to their direct interaction with the athletes to establish indicators that could be evaluated and corrected through the appropriate techniques, prior to the days of competition.