The Agencia Cubana de Noticias — the Cuban News Agency — offers its sports bulletin for Thursday, January 1, 2026, with news of the main performances of Cubans both domestically and abroad in recent days.
Cuban Baseball Shines in 2025 in Youth, Children’s, Little League and Baseball5 Categories
Cuban baseball appears to have begun a resurgence with the achievements of the youth, children, and Little League teams.
The Baseball5 team, in 2025, received the title of best team sport of the year, thanks to the contributions of the gold medal won by the U15 team in the Caribbean tournament, the bronze medal won by the U23 team in a tournament in Nicaragua, as well as the bronze medal won by the women’s team in a competition in Venezuela, the bronze medal won by the Little League team in the Latin American Series, and the retention of the Junior World Championship title by the Baseball5 team, as well as the outstanding performance of shortstop Jonathan Moreno in the U18 World Championship, which earned him a contract with the Japanese professional league.
“We are very happy that baseball has been recognized as the team sport of the year and that we have contributed to it,” Eros Bernal, technical director of the sport born from the “four corners” (a type of handball), told JIT.
Nélido Manso Inducted into the Hall of Fame: The Best of Cuban Sailing in 2025
The induction of Nélido Manso into the Snipe Class Hall of Fame was one of the top stories in Cuban sailing in 2025, further bolstered by the qualification of two boats for the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo in 2026.
Last January, Manso, the 1999 World Champion from Murcia, Spain, received his well-deserved induction, much to the delight of the sailing community in Cuba. The boats that have qualified for Santo Domingo, a process still underway, are Mary Rosy Díaz, who finished ninth in the LIV Sunfish Class World Championship in Salinas, Ecuador, and the mixed Hobie Cat boat that secured its spot in a competition in Pensacola, USA.
Top Esports Achievers to Be Awarded in Cuba
The Cuban Esports Association (ADEC) will present its annual Esports Cuba Awards this Saturday to the top performers in the discipline during 2025.
According to ADEC officials, awards will be given in the categories of best player (6 nominees), best team (4), and best competitive ecosystem (5).
The awards are part of a novel and motivating initiative aimed at improving and increasing competitiveness in future editions.
Javier Vidal, president of the Association, told JIT that additional award categories will be added in the coming years.
2025: An Evaluation for Cuba’s Upcoming Sporting Commitments
The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) assessed the potential for the Olympic cycle in 2025. This cycle will begin with the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo in 2026, continue with the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in 2027, and culminate with the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
During the past 12 months, two key events took place: the II Junior Pan American Games in Asunción and the I Parapan American Games held in Santiago, Chile. The government spent approximately US$14 million on these events.
According to José A. Miranda, INDER’s Director General of High Performance, the fundamental objectives of evaluating the pool of athletes and qualifying the largest possible number of representatives for the multi-sport events in Santo Domingo (226 athletes qualified across 16 sports) and Lima (17 athletes qualified).
In the case of the Junior Parapan American Games in Chile, a delegation of 27 members in four sports achieved a harvest of 29 medals, 12 of them gold, and a prominent position on the continent.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
