Havana/The “political and economic situation” on the island frustrated the participation of Cuban swimmer Dainé Pedré Garcés in the Dominican Republic Open, a qualifier for the Central American Games. This was confirmed by the first gold medalist in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley category at the Alba Games in Caracas (2023). “They simply couldn’t send me,” he stressed.
Pedré Garcés said in a video published on his Instagram account that after two years away from high performance, he decided to “go back to swimming.” Her intention was to be part of the Cuban delegation that will participate in the Central American and Caribbean Games that will take place from July 24 to August 8, 2026, for which she prepared and equaled marks for which the ruling party called her the “queen of swimming.”
However, the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder), the body that regulates departures, training bases and international hiring, did not provide support.
“I lost the opportunity to qualify, I lost an event that I had been waiting for for years, in addition to all the preparation before that,” he lamented. The Havana woman emphasized her discomfort: “And the saddest thing is that it was not due to lack of level, but rather due to lack of opportunity.”
Inder regulates departures, training bases and international hiring, it did not provide support
In the Alba games, Dainé Pedré Garcés also won silver medals in the 200-meter breaststroke, 100-meter butterfly, and 4 per 100 mixed relay. In addition, he took bronze in the 200-meter butterfly. At 17 years old, he won six medals.
“The medals I obtained in Venezuela indicated that I met my short-term objectives, managing to lower most of my marks. At the same time, I set new goals for the Central American Games, where I will give my best,” he declared at that time to the official. Cubadebate.
None of those achievements were enough for Inder to support her in her goal. “It hurts, because when you start from scratch again, nothing is easy. But I still did it: I trained, I prepared and I believed,” said the swimmer.
She is not the first athlete that Inder has turned his back on. At the end of January, the organization marginalized track cyclist Marlies Mejías García. The Cuban Cycling Federation informed her that “it would not be able to support her in any track event this year due to lack of funds.”
The woman had to resort to donations to cover the expenses of preparing to participate in the Pan American Championships and the World Cups. Although he withdrew support, the regime won the silver medal who won in scratch of the Pan American Championship, which qualified her for the World Cup in Australia.
Mejías acknowledged last month that “asking for help is not easy for me, but this path is bigger than fear or pride.” The cyclist finished her participation in the 2026 Track World Cup in 18th place, which took place in Nilai, Malaysia.
The Cuban was the third on the American continent to obtain 132 points that are added to the ranking world championship and its classification towards the Los Angeles 2028 games.
