Cuban Fencers Adam Núñez and Hershey Daniela de la Cruz and softball outfielder Yasmani Álvarez did not return to the Island
14ymedio, Havana, August 11, 2026 / The regime has remained silent about the escape of Cuban fencers Adam Núñez and Hershey Daniela de la Cruz, as well as softball team center fielder Yasmani Álvarez, during the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Cuba finished third in the medal count after winning 51 gold, 48 silver and 46 bronze medals.
The state-run media Jit praised the return of the last group to the island. Rolando Yero, a member of the Party’s Central Committee and head of its Social Welfare Department, asserted that “sport continues to be a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution.” Meanwhile, Cubadebate described the Cuban delegation as “a giant,” citing the competitors’ “sacrifice and dedication” and their unique way of “competing against all odds, even against the invisible.”
Nothing was published about the absences of Núñez and De la Cruz, who, according to the Facebook page Dporto Sports News, decided to flee on the last day of competition. Núñez was a substitute on the saber team and “left the village before the final competition.” De la Cruz, on the other hand, had finished fifth in the individual event of the same discipline as her teammate and, in the team competition, “finished in eighth and last place after losing her match against Venezuela.”
Journalist Yasel Porto noted that fencing had a lackluster performance in Santo Domingo, “the worst in decades at these games after the team épée team only managed a bronze medal.” According to the reporter, “economic and administrative problems have made this sport the worst combat sport on the island.”
The other defection occurring last Thursday was that of Yasmani Álvarez. According to the news program Al Strike Softball, the Havana native separated from the group the day before Cuba’s game against Colombia. “The news broke after the country’s participation in the Central American Games concluded.”
The escapes of Núñez, De la Cruz, and Álvarez come on top of that of Moisés David Torres Puig, the goalkeeper for the men’s field hockey team, who left Cuban sports just hours before the tournament’s official opening without having played a single match. The athlete from Las Tunas pretended to have been hit by a ball during training and asked for ice to treat the supposed injury. After announcing he was going to throw the ice away, he took advantage,, in collusion with another person, to escape in a vehicle requested through the Uber app.
Days later, rower Leah Daniela Almeida, who won gold alongside Ana Jiménez, also fled. Little information was released about the competitor, born in Máximo Gómez, in the Matanzas municipality of Perico. Journalist Francys Romero stated that there were “no further details about the circumstances or the whereabouts” of the competitor.
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