Havana, October 6 (RHC) – The International Volleyball Federation announced today the presence of two Cuban teams in the upcoming Beach Volleyball World Championship, scheduled for November 14-21 in Adelaide, Australia.
The competition will feature 48 pairs per gender, and Cuba will repeat the feat of fielding two men’s pairs for the first time since 2017, when it did so at the Vienna World Cup. Qualifying culminated this weekend in Mexico, a country that also marked the start of the World Cup cycle earlier this year.
The Cuban representation will be led by Olympians Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Díaz, currently ranked 11th in the world, who completed a remarkable season with two Elite 16 tournament finals and a title in Quintana Roo. Their immediate goal will be to achieve seeding status, a symbolic but significant goal in the history of Cuban beach volleyball.
The second duo, made up of young players Damián Gómez and Eblis Veranes, will enter the main draw after the unexpected withdrawal of the Puerto Rican pair, allowing them to debut in the group stage of the tournament.
Although their chances of advancing are slim, their qualification marks an encouraging step for the new generation of players.
With this, Cuba once again inscribes its name among the greats, recalling that its best men’s performance dates back to 2005, when Francisco Álvarez Cutiño—currently the coach of both teams—and Oney Ramírez achieved a historic fifth place. In that same edition, Tamara Larrea and Dalixia Fernández achieved a fourth place in the women’s division.
The group draw will be held on November 9, and until then, the Cuban pairs will remain without official competitions. Even so, they are confident that the physical preparation and rest after a long run on the Pro Tour and the Russian circuit will allow them to reach the Australian arena in full form.
