Recently, three Cuban handball players made the decision to leave their national team camp in France. They were preparing for the 2025 Handball World Championship, scheduled to take place in Croatia from January 14 to February 2. The players, identified as Diosel Rondón (21 years old, from Granma), Daril Lois González (22 years old, from Havana), and Jorge Félix Prent (23 years old, from Matanzas), decided to seek better opportunities abroad. This information was shared by sports journalist Francys Romero on his Facebook profile.
The players were part of the Cuban delegation that began their training in France on November 8. According to Romero, the athletes took advantage of friendly matches against second-division French handball teams as a chance to change the course of their lives. "These young men will now pursue their careers outside of Cuba and aim to establish themselves in the professional handball scene after resolving their immigration status," Romero concluded.
A Broader Trend of Athlete Departures
In the comments section of Romero's post, some suggested that these players were among the few without professional club contracts outside of Cuba, a factor that may have influenced their decision. This latest defection adds to the ongoing trend of Cuban athletes leaving the country, seeking professional and economic stability amid Cuba's severe economic crisis.
The departure of Rondón, González, and Prent is just the latest in a series of similar incidents involving Cuban sports delegations traveling abroad. Earlier this year, the Cuban handball team experienced other losses during international tournaments. In May, Omar Toledano, regarded as one of the nation's top right wings, defected from the team during the pre-World Championship in Mexico. Several months prior, in December 2023, five members of the women's youth handball team also escaped while participating in the Pre-World Championship in Mexico.
As of now, Cuban authorities have not officially acknowledged the departure of these three players. However, the state-run sports outlet JIT did report on the team's stay in France, emphasizing the importance of this training to elevate the country's handball standards. Franklin Guevara, president of the Cuban handball federation, stated, "Playing here at a higher level allows us to identify deficiencies and work on addressing them. Enhancing our strengths is undoubtedly crucial. The players appear receptive, and we believe we can improve the team's performance metrics," he declared, prior to the news of the players' disappearance.