Cuban athletes allege kidnapping attempt after defecting in Dominican Republic

During the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, five Cuban athletes—fencers Adán Núñez and Hershey Daniela de la Cruz, softball outfielder Yasmani Álvarez, rower Leah Daniel Almeida and hockey goalkeeper Moisés David Torres Puig—successfully broke away from their delegation. An unnamed teammate told 14 y Medio that Cuban agents tried to kidnap them, prompting the athlete to go into hiding and avoid social media.

Hours later, the Dominican Republic expelled nine Cuban embassy staff and relatives, accusing them of espionage and attempts to abduct the defectors. Dominican officials said the diplomats' removal was unrelated to the athletes, describing it as a separate matter. Havana condemned the expulsions as part of a U.S.-led plot. The defections occur a month after a group of Cuban canoeists fled their team in Canada.