Julio Cesar La Cruz

Havana, June 9 (Jit) - Cuba will attend the Central American and Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023 with a cheerful, motivated and committed delegation to the privilege of representing their country, said Inder vice president Ariel Sainz.

The statement marked his intervention in the radio program Mesa Redonda, as part of which he highlighted the high number of qualifiers in many disciplines, an expression of the strengths of the island's sports system.

He said that this multiplies its importance in the midst of the economic situation associated with the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, which impacts on various areas of preparation and insurance.

He affirmed that Cuba will be in a position to conquer a place in the vanguard, with Mexico as the favorite to lead it and Colombia as another important rival, and emphasized that the preparation has been characterized by the dedication of all those involved.

Also present were the general director of high performance, José Antonio Miranda; Dr. Pablo Castillo, director of the Institute of Sports Medicine; and two-time Olympic champion boxer Julio César La Cruz, designated flag bearer along with judoka Idalys Ortiz, who is also a judoka at that level.

JIT summarizes the essential ideas of what was said.

. The event, scheduled from June 23 to July 8, is still subject to changes in the competition program after the official closing of the registration process.

. At the moment there are 456 events to be contested in 39 sports disciplines, out of a total of 466 initially. Forty-one of them, in seven sports disciplines, will be held in the sub-venue of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic.

. Places will be distributed in 13 sports for the Pan American Games of Santiago de Chile 2023: athletics, open water, handball, baseball, bowling, boxing, MTB, equestrian, field hockey, polo, shooting, archery and triathlon.

. Cuba plans to participate with 504 athletes who have been fully identified and reached high performance thanks to the benefits of a sports system within everyone's reach.

. If no other changes are made, it would be present in 371 events (81.3%) in 36 sports disciplines. It would be absent from 85 events, including 21 sports that are not practiced in its high performance system (bowling, golf, netball, rugby and surfing).

. The 2023 has imposed unprecedented competitive challenges for revolutionary sports, as the Central American and Caribbean, Pan American and Parapan American Games coincide with the qualifying processes for these events and for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

. It has been necessary to resize the work in the midst of the current conditions of the country, the global economic crisis, the impact of the blockade, which has very concrete expressions in this sector, and the emigration of athletes, which together make up a very complex scenario for Cuban sport.

. As it has happened in the last few years, the greatest potentialities of the Island are once again in boxing, wrestling, the rest of combat sports, athletics, canoeing....

. Chess, which is making its debut in this kind of competitions, has been identified as another sport called to make an outstanding contribution in relation to the number of events it organizes.

. Analyses indicate that Mexico should lead the medal table.

. Cuba, in need of high effectiveness, could obtain between 70 and 80 crowns, with the purpose of closing in the vanguard, in what is shaping up to be a tough fight, mainly with Colombia, identified as another strong contender for the second place.

. Although this shows a decrease with respect to Barranquilla 2018, it is also very significant the high number of qualified athletes in many sports, and the possibility of competing and winning medals of all colors.

. This, in the midst of the current circumstances of the island, is positive and encouraging for the future, because it makes clear the reserves available as part of the strategy designed for 2032.

. The medical controls of sports training have been part of the preparation of the delegation, which will arrive with all its athletes having undergone at least one anti-doping test.

. Psychological preparation has been guaranteed, and it has been determined that the athletes are in a favorable state of predisposition.

. There are no reports of morphofunctional alterations, injuries or illnesses that could jeopardize the participation of any athlete.

. The immunization scheme of the delegation in general was concluded with the Sovereign 02 booster dose.

. From the nutritional point of view, the caloric balance has been adequate, while facing the limitations that the country is going through, with the generation of solutions from science and innovation, in close collaboration with other Cuban institutions.

. Along these lines, projects for the formulation of nutritional supplements are being carried out jointly by Inder and BioCubafarma, in response to the need to substitute imports and promote food security and sustainability.

. They also highlight the links with Biocen and Medsol, which are vital to have these nutritional products of high biological value for athletes and exercisers in general.

. La Cruz on his status as flag bearer: "One of the greatest things that has happened in my sports career, given the absence of that great champion and personal friend Mijaín López. An additional motivation to bring gold to the delegation".