2025 was a year that left us with several guidelines for relaunching the essence of the sports movement, one that, from its founding principles, has the people as its primary beneficiaries.
The calendar included the Law of the Cuban Sports System, the first of its kind in the country, to provide institutional framework and legal order to all processes related to Physical Culture, Recreation, and high-performance sports, approved in July by the National Assembly of People's Power. Also in July, the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) presented its Accountability Report to Parliament, an opportunity to correct course from the perspective of the people's representatives.
February marked the 25th anniversary of the National Commission of Retired Athletes, an idea of Fidel Castro's that, on its centennial, needs and must be revitalized.
Of course, major competitive events also marked these past 12 months. Leyanis Pérez's world title in the triple jump filled every inch of the island with pride, which was further celebrated by another feat in the strong arms of Marifélix Sarría, world runner-up in weightlifting. There were also the world junior titles won by Cristian Menéndez in racquetball and by the invincible Baseball5 team; and the gold medals won by Paralympic weightlifting Amalia González and Daynelis Vázquez at the world championships.
Cuba qualified for the Under-12 and Under-18 baseball world championships and secured its place in the world championships in the Under-15 and Under-23 categories in two epic battles, thus achieving representation at the highest level across all age groups. This was, amidst the turbulent year of 2025, the pinnacle of Cuban sport.
The worthy performances in the Junior Pan American and Parapan American Games were welcomed, as well as those of the delegation to the Deaflympics, with an undisputed queen, Suslaidy Giralt, with her ninth Olympic crown and thirteenth medal, the most decorated athlete at that level, regardless of sex or modality.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THE SEED
But let's focus on the guidelines, because a law, recommendations for accountability to legislators, or even a celebration are not enough if the tools placed in the hands of the sports movement are not put into action.
The athletic world in the 21st century is nothing like it was in the last century, or even at the beginning of this one. High commercialization has become ingrained in its DNA, bringing about changes even in training processes. High-level competitions are multiplying in pursuit of qualification, not only for the Olympics, but also for the Pan American Games or the Central American and Caribbean Games.
This necessitates attending any competition in peak condition, which requires knowledge, science, and financial resources to ensure a presence on the field and meet the qualifying requirements. For smaller countries with dependent economies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete on this vast spectrum, let alone succeed.
The legal framework not only protects sponsorship in the pursuit of funding to meet these demands, but also outlines what to do in each location where sports training takes place, prioritizing grassroots sports, community sports, and sports in our schools as the fundamental foundation for development. But this requires oversight; it demands a strategy from the municipal to the provincial level: if we are not strong there, we will not be strong at the national team level.
On this path, the starting point is Physical Education. Without quality instruction, without motivating children, the entire sports structure collapses. The teacher is the cornerstone of Olympic and world medals, and their indispensable contribution must be acknowledged.
José Martí reasoned that children's bodies must be strengthened to the same extent that their spirits are strengthened; from him we learned the unique role of both elements in the harmony of the human body. This, precisely, is Physical Education: the foundation of a vast wealth of knowledge and intense sessions in which the intellect demands endurance and strength from the body.
Such uniqueness and importance leads us to wonder why, in 2025, as in previous years, the best teacher of this subject was not awarded a prize?
On May 28, upon ending government control of the sports organization, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz stated the goal of returning Cuba to the top 20 nations in the Olympic Games. Well, without the quality of this subject, such an endeavor would be extremely difficult, almost impossible.
Looking ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, one of the key ways to reach the pinnacle of success lies in revitalizing Fidel Castro's vision that our sporting legends are not forgotten. There is no better way to honor them than by involving them in the athletes' development process on their path to a medal. No one can influence training and provide timely guidance to future champions better than these legendary figures. Reducing their focus to material aspects—which doesn't mean disregarding them—would be to squander a wealth of knowledge and commitment.
The year 2026 will already feature major events such as the Youth Olympic Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games, and the World Baseball Classic, among others. A comprehensive strategy, one that integrates science to optimize every resource and unites all the strengths of the Cuban Sports System, will lead us to reach those demanding podiums.
