Cuba agents reportedly infiltrate Central American Games to prevent athletes from defecting
An investigation by Diario Libre claims that Cuban regime security personnel even wore uniforms from other delegations to monitor their athletes in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Five athletes from the island left the delegation during the tournament.
Cuban female boxers during training (File photo)
Cuban security agents reportedly infiltrated the facilities of the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026 to monitor members of the island's delegation and prevent further defections, according to an investigation published by the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre.
According to the investigation, some of the agents even wore uniforms belonging to athletes from other countries in order to approach the Cuban athletes without arousing suspicion. Dominican security agencies detected the operation and removed several Cuban citizens from the sports facilities who were not authorized to perform security duties.
One of the incidents occurred during an indoor competition at Parque del Este, when Dominican military personnel detected Cuban citizens chasing athletes who were apparently attempting to leave the delegation. Authorities temporarily closed the venue and checked the credentials of those present. A similar incident occurred later at an outdoor stadium, according to the report.
Five athletes leave the Cuban delegation
The president of the Santo Domingo 2026 Organizing Committee, José Monegro, later stated that he had not been informed of these incidents and that the daily reports he received during the tournament did not mention any situations involving Cuban athletes or the Cuban embassy.
Dominican Republic orders removal of nine Cuban officials
The case coincides with a diplomatic decision adopted days later by Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX) officially announced on Aug. 13 that it had requested the Cuban embassy to recall nine members of its diplomatic mission and their family members, granting them seven days to leave the country.
The Dominican Foreign Ministry stated that it acted in accordance with international law and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but decided to keep the reasons for the measure confidential and indicated that it would not provide additional details.
To date, the Dominican government has not publicly confirmed that the withdrawal of the nine officials is related to the alleged surveillance operation during the games, so any link between the two incidents remains unconfirmed by official sources.
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