Four Cuba athletes who traveled to Paraguay to play the 2025 Juvenile Pan American Games in Asuncion abandoned their country’s delegation and may request political asylum. The case occurred on Wednesday (13), when competitors departed from the group during a tourist tour and did not return to the hotel where they were staying. Paraguayan authorities investigate the episode as a possible desertion.
The denunciation of the disappearance of the athletes of the hotel where they were was made to the Paraguayan police by the head of the Cuban delegation.
“Four Cuban athletes informed this morning to the chief of his delegation that they would not return to the hotel. Police, in these cases, do what is called a warning to find out if there is any question to worry, but apparently it would be a case of desertion,” said Paraguayan Interior Minister, Enrique Riera, on Thursday (14).
The deserters were identified as Felix Puente Batista, Robert Landy Fernández, Keiler Ávila Núñez – all members of the Cuba Rowing team – and Suannet de la Caridad Naples, handball player. According to Riera, “these have not yet made any requests to Conare [órgão paraguaio responsável por refugiados]But in principle this is the presumption we have ”in reference to the possibility of the athletes requesting refuge or asylum with the Paraguayan National Commission of Paraguayan and Refugees.
The Assunção Juvenile Pan American Games bring together more than 4,000 athletes from 40 countries. They started on August 9 and will end on the 23rd. The competition has 28 sports and 42 modalities in dispute. According to the portal Diário das Americasepisodes similar to what happened this week are not unheard of: according to official data released by the Cuba regime, in 2023 only 190 high -performance athletes on the island deserted in abroad competitions, including boxer Andy Cruz, considered one of the best in the country.
The episode took place the same week that United States and Paraguay signed in Washington a secure third country agreement. Through the treaty, foreigners who request asylum to the US may order in Paraguayan territory. With the new partnership, Paraguay has played a strategic role in Donald Trump government migratory policy, which had already signed similar agreements with El Salvador and started deals to exempt from Argentine citizens on tourism and business travel to the United States.
