Havana.— Attending the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo with a full team is the goal of the Cuban badminton players, who already completed part of their qualifying events last year.
"In the four international tournaments, we accumulated just over 25,000 points, which places us fifth in the regional ranking. This allows for three athletes per gender, but the qualification does not close until April 12th," said Orlando Cala, president of the Cuban federation.
However, he believes they need to participate in four more events, as points earned in the world circuit will also count for athletes from the Central American and Caribbean region.
"That is why participating in regional competitions is important, due to the need to attain many more points, in order to increase the number of players and also secure a better positioning in the Dominican capital," he added.
Although it is possible to compete in the team event with four members, Cala explains that ideally they want to have six.
"This will give us more options to rotate players in the team event, which is a very strong competition, since the champion is decided in just 48 hours. From each of the two groups, the top two advance to the final to compete for gold, silver, and a single bronze medal; and two days later, the individual events begin," he emphasized.
Cala believes Cuba has medal chances in the team tournament, given the experience of its members, especially their leader, Taymara Oropesa.
"She has great chances of winning her long-awaited gold medal, which would improve on her performance in San Salvador 2023, where she took the silver," he assured.
The Cubans will open their commitments with the traditional Thomas and Uber Cups, competitions recognized as the world championships for men's and women's teams, held in Guatemala from February 12 to 15.
At the Coliseum of the Sports City, they will compete from March 10 to 15 in La Giraldilla of Havana, and from March 31 to April 5, in the First International Series Tournament, of the highest rank, as it will award 2,500 points to the winners in each category.
The last qualifier, the Pan American Individual Championship, will take place in Aguascalientes, Mexico, from April 4 to 8, of great importance for those from the Largest of the Antilles.
"Venezuela is very close to us in the ranking, and there is a good chance they will be present at this event," the federation official commented.
Cala said that only Cuba’s top players, not a full team, would attend this tournament, because it is a tough competition that requires competing safely to close the qualifying season with a good number of points.
"In addition to Taymara, Roberto Carlos Herrera also has experience, and this Olympic cycle should be the one for his breakthrough, to achieve a good result in his second Central American and Caribbean Games. I hope Juan Carlos Bencomo reaches a good ranking position and arrives in Santo Domingo in peak athletic condition," he expressed.
Cala noted that the greatest potential lies in the women's team, with Taymara in singles and women’s doubles, for which rotations are being made, considering that Elis Cabrera joined Leyanis Contreras.
"The level of women’s doubles in the region is quite balanced, but we can fight for a medal, as well as in mixed doubles," he said.
Badminton began its qualification process last year at La Giraldilla, which set an attendance record for the last decade, with 21 countries participating and the return of Oropesa, bronze medalist at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, who became a mother just three months earlier.
Together with Leyanis, she won the title in women's doubles and the bronze medal in mixed doubles with Herrera, who also climbed the podium to claim the silver medal in men's doubles alongside Bencomo.
In Bolivia, Taymara and Leyanis secured a title; Herrera, in the individual event, and the mixed doubles team of Bencomo and Contreras earned silver medals, while Oropesa won bronze in singles—the same prize that the mixed doubles duo of Herrera and Bencomo took home.
The penultimate challenge was at the Santo Domingo Open, where Taymara stood out with two bronze medals, in singles and mixed doubles, the latter alongside Roberto Carlos.
The farewell, in that same month, took place in Venezuela. There, they earned three golds through Taymara and Leyanis in doubles; Herrera and Bencomo in mixed doubles; and Herrera and Taymara in the same category. Additionally, all contributed a bronze medal in singles, and Bencomo and Leyanis won it in mixed doubles.
“The team is preparing in Artemisa, and afterward, we will see where we might establish training bases. We have received invitations from various countries, and we will finalize these in April, as this is very important. It has been the Achilles’ heel in recent years, but we can improve on this.”
