Cuba Falls Silent at the World Judo Championships in Baku
Cuba finished its run at the 47th World Judo Championships in Baku with a 4-0 defeat against Turkey in the team tournament on Sunday, October 11, marking one of the delegation’s quietest performances in recent memory. Veteran sports journalist Joel García noted that the team secured only two victories across 13 total bouts during the competition. When announcing the arrival of the World Judo Championships, warnings had already been signaled without hiding them, recalling the paled performance witnessed just meters away at the Paris Olympic Games and raising an inevitable question regarding a potential revenge for Cuba, while Orlando Polanco, who finished fifth in Budapest 2025, fell in his debut this time. The result highlights the material challenges facing the country's athletes, who arrived in Azerbaijan just 24 hours before competition following preparations disrupted by power outages, transportation hurdles, and nutritional shortages.
Ivan Silva Claims the Delegation’s Lone Breakthrough at 100 kg
Iván Silva delivered the squad’s strongest performance, competing in the 100 kg division after previously winning a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships in Baku at 90 kg. Silva earned two victories before dropping his match to Japan’s Dota Arai, who went on to secure the silver medal. The Cuban delegation traveled without retired four-time Olympic and eight-time world medalist Idalys Ortiz, who stepped away from the sport following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Andy Granda, the 2022 world champion in Tashkent who missed the tournament while recovering from an injury.
Material Hardships and Training Obstacles Compound the Decline
Analyzing the factors behind the low yield in Baku, reports highlighted a steep drop in international preparation opportunities, technical gaps, and severe logistical constraints. Athletes faced restricted access to adequate training facilities alongside frequent blackouts and transport failures at home. However, sports observers note that economic scarcity alone does not explain the downturn, pointing to the need for a thorough reassessment of coaching methods, competitive strategies, talent identification, and development pipelines for younger generations.
Cuba Holds Sixth Place in All-Time World Championships Medals
Despite the recent setback, Cuban judo maintains a rich historical pedigree, holding sixth place in the all-time World Championships medal table with 80 total medals, comprising 19 gold, 22 silver, and 39 bronze, according to historical standings where Japan leads with 415 total medals (175 gold, 114 silver, 126 bronze), followed by France in second with 383 total medals (60 gold, 418 silver, 188 bronze), South Korea in third with 109 total medals (33 gold, 96 silver, 80 bronze), Russia in fourth with 135 total medals (24 gold, 33 silver, 78 bronze), China in fifth with 106 total medals (20 gold, 13 silver, 73 bronze), Cuba in sixth with 80 total medals (19 gold, 22 silver, 39 bronze), the Netherlands in seventh with 94 total medals (16 gold, 22 silver, 56 bronze), the United Kingdom in eighth with 67 total medals (16 gold, 19 silver, 32 bronze), Germany in ninth with 113 total medals (14 gold, 27 silver, 72 bronze), and Georgia in tenth with 55 total medals (13 gold, 16 silver, 26 bronze). No country from the Americas managed to climb onto the podium. Across the broader Olympic stage, Cuba ranks 18th in the all-time Summer Games standings with 244 total medals, including 86 gold, 70 silver, and 88 bronze.
Keep reading
