Amidst power outages, an energy crisis, and widespread shortages, Cuban sports authorities have announced as a “serious goal” the construction of a beach volleyball stadium in Varadero, one of the country’s main tourist destinations.

The information was released by the official newspaper Girón and confirmed during the first stop of the Beach Volleyball Circuit of the North, Central America, and Caribbean Confederation (Norceca), which is taking place in Varadero.

The three-time Olympic champion Mireya Luis, currently the vice president of the Cuban Volleyball Federation and the general director of the event, stated that the project has the support of the local government, the Ministry of Tourism, and other entities connected to the sport.

“It is a serious goal. We have planned the project with all the necessary requirements,” stated the former player, referring to the intention to build a permanent facility to replace the current temporary structures used each year during the tournament.

The Barceló Solymar Arenas Blancas Hotel has been a regular venue for the event, but its temporary stands only allow for the attendance of a few dozen spectators.

According to Mireya Luis, a stadium with increased capacity would benefit not only the event itself but also the training of the athletes and the prestige of the regional competition.

Mireya Luis herself celebrated the current performance of the Cuban pairs, with one of them ranked among the top ten in the world.

However, she acknowledged that beach volleyball needs stable conditions to grow: “We never stop dreaming about the growth of the tournament,” expressed the former leader of the Morenas del Caribe, Olympic champions in Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000.

According to the Norceca circuit schedule, Varadero will not only host the inaugural stop of 2025, but it will also be the venue for the final phase in October.

Although the event promotes Cuba internationally as a sports and tourist destination, the construction of a new stadium during times of scarcity opens a new front for debate regarding government priorities and the use of public resources.

The decision contrasts with the serious situation of the national electrical system, affected by recurrent failures in thermal power plants, lack of maintenance, and a shortfall of investments in critical infrastructure.

On social media, numerous users have questioned the initiative, claiming that government funds and attention should be directed towards resolving power outages, improving transportation, supplying hospitals, or ensuring food and medicine, instead of building a facility for an annual event.

Odalis Altamirano expressed, “What we need is a thermoelectric plant to provide service to the province of Matanzas, which does experience power outages. But of course, Varadero doesn’t feel it, only during the few moments of energy collapse. They keep wasting money and don’t think about the average Cuban who can’t even afford the luxury of going to Varadero.”

Greisy Rodríguez Delgado quipped: “Odalis Altamirano, with what they raise in that stadium, will invest in the SEN, you’ll see. That has yielded a lot of results; just look at how stocked the sales points and service centers are.”

The profound decline in housing construction in Cuba is an unmistakable sign of the economic and social collapse facing the country: in 2024, fewer houses were built than in the worst years of the Special Period, underscoring the sustained failure of the State to address one of the most basic needs of the population.

The data was revealed by Cuban economist Pedro Monreal in an analysis published on the social network X, based on the official report titled “Construction in Cuba. Selected Indicators. January-December 2024. May 2025 Edition,” issued by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).

According to official figures, investments in business services, real estate activities, and rental services reached 24.907 billion Cuban pesos (CUP) in 2024, making it the primary destination for capital expenditure in the country.

This is in addition to 11,936.5 million CUP allocated to hotels and restaurants, bringing the total investment in activities closely related to tourism to over 36.8 billion pesos.

These figures intensify the debate about the persistent priority that the Cuban regime gives to tourism, despite the prolonged stagnation of the sector and the severe shortages that the population faces in fundamental areas such as public health and food production.

In this same regard, in 2024, official data on investment in Cuba during the first half of that year reignited the debate about the allocation of resources on the island, particularly the Cuban regime’s insistence on investing in the tourism sector at the expense of fundamental sectors such as health and social assistance.

According to the ONEI report, from January to June 2024, the regime allocated nearly 40% of its investments to activities related to tourism, whereas investment in Health and Social Assistance is 14 times lower, a fact that has been heavily criticized by economic experts, such as Cuban economist Pedro Monreal.

Frequently asked questions about the construction of the beach volleyball stadium in Varadero

WINTER PARK, Fla. — The tennis court is Laziza Talipova’s happy place. 

During her junior year at Trinity Prep, she won the American Tennis Association National Championship in the Girls’ 16 division. 

“I really enjoyed the tournament, I played a lot of good tennis, I played in a lot of close matches,” Talipova explains. “It just shows how hard work comes into play.”

Laziza was at the top of the rollercoaster, but it would quickly go down. 

After the tournament, she had right ankle surgery that would sideline her for a couple of months. 

“I just had to remember, I can do this, I’ve done it before,” Talipova said about the recovery process. “I can come back. I’ve seen other athletes come back from worse… My recovery was only a short couple of months and after that I never looked back.”

She returned to the court like she had never left. 

Talipova made history in her senior season. She was the first Trinity Prep female tennis player to make a state final since 1983. 

She also committed to play tennis at George Washington University, the same school where her brother, Laziz, plays basketball. 

“I love my brother so much, he’s such a huge inspiration for me playing tennis,” said Talipova, after watching a congratulation video her brother made for her. “He does support me with everything I do. Just him welcoming me to George Washginton. It’s going to be so much fun.”

Laziza hopes to one day become a pro tennis player.

She knows to get there it’s going to take hard work and great family support.

Alex Halloway / KLC fotos

Mykolas Alekna remained undefeated on the year after recording a new meet and facility record in the discus.

T&F5/17/2025 8:20 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Finishes Meet With 12 Conference Medals

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The California track & field team closed out a successful three days at the ACC Outdoor Championships on Saturday night, earning another four medals at Wake Forest’s Kentner Stadium to bring its weekend total to 12. The Golden Bears’ men finished third in the team standings with 79.83 points, just behind second-place North Carolina (82) and winner Duke (86). The Bears placed sixth in the women’s competition with 61 points, while Virginia claimed the team title with 93 points.
 

“I think we did really well, and I’m really proud of how the team performed and stepped up,” Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Robyne Johnson said. “It was top-to-bottom excellent effort from our athletes – we had so many PRs that it’s not even funny, but that’s exactly what we expect in a championship season and they answered the call. I’m super proud of all of them.”
 
Cal’s first event of the day was the men’s discus, where world record-holder and The Bowerman candidate Mykolas Alekna continued his dominant season with the third conference title of his career, out-throwing the rest of the field by over 10 feet on the way to a new facility and meet record of 69.86m (229-2). Two other Bears – Jared Freeman (53.19m/174-6) and Charlie Dang (52.85m/173-4) – placed fourth and fifth, respectively, to score points for the squad, while Nik Iwankiw threw a personal-best 50.69m (166-3). On the women’s side, Caisa-Marie Lindfors picked up her second medal of the meet, placing second with a throw of 58.81m (192-11), while Lucija Leko placed sixth at 50.98m (167-3) to pick up three points.
 
A pair of Bears also picked up medals on the track. Garrett MacQuiddy posted the second-fastest final 400m split in the men’s 1500m, outrunning rival Stanford’s Leo Young on the way to a second-place time of 3:45.25, while Johnny Goode obliterated alumnus Peter Howard’s 40-year-old school record in the 400m to place third in 45.02; that time was also a .7-second personal best, giving Goode his fourth program record of the year.
 
Cal fielded two scorers in the men’s high jump, where Riley Knott recorded a fourth-place season best of 2.09m/6-10.25 and Victor Ezike Jr. tied for seventh with a leap of 2.01m (6-7). Asjah Atkinson finished fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 13.45, matching her placement at the ACC Indoor Championships, while Donovan Bradley also took fourth in the men’s 110m hurdles at 13.85 and Loreal Wilson improved her own program No. 5 time in the 400m hurdles to a sixth-place 58.51. The men’s 4x100m relay squad of Aidan Orias, Johnny Goode, Avinash Schwarzkopf and Javon Hampton Jr. rounded out the group of Cal scorers with an eighth-place finish of 40.54. Finally, Jade Neser posted a new personal best in the women’s high jump of 1.72m (5-7.75).
 
 
ACC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S RESULTS (3rd Place, 79.83 points)
400m Final – 3. Johnny Goode 45.02 (PR, School Record)
1500m Final – 2. Garrett MacQuiddy 3:45.25
110m Hurdles Final – 4. Donovan Bradley 13.85
4x100m Relay – 8. California 40.54 (Aidan Orias, Johnny Goode, Avinash Schwarzkopf, Javon Hampton Jr.)
4x400m Relay – 9. California 3:11.01 (Johnny Goode, Aiden Lippert, Avinash Schwarzkopf, Donovan Bradley)
High Jump – 4. Riley Knott 2.09m/6-10.25; T7. Victor Ezike Jr. 2.01m/6-7; 13. Brandon Cheeks II 1.96m/6-5
Triple Jump – 9. Jeremiah Bolaños 15.25m/50-0.5; 14. Kosi Nwafor 14.66m/48-1.25
Discus – 1. Mykolas Alekna 69.86m/229-2 (Facility Record, Meet Record); 4. Jared Freeman 53.19m/174-6; 5. Charlie Dang 52.85m/173-4; 10. Nik Iwankiw 50.69m/166-3 (PR); 14. Nick Godbehere 48.00m/157-6
 
ACC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WOMEN’S RESULTS (6th Place, 61 points)
5000m – 25. Georgia McCorkle 16:34.76
100m Hurdles Final – 4. Asjah Atkinson 13.45
400m Hurdles Final – 6. Loreal Wilson 58.51 (PR, 5th Cal History)
4x100m Relay – 12. California 45.83 (Masina Mayo, Saqqara Ruffin, Mari Testa, Asjah Atkinson)
High Jump – 10. Jade Neser 1.72m/5-7.75 (PR)
Triple Jump – – Leah Anderson NM; – Myla Canty NM
Discus – 2. Caisa-Marie Lindfors 58.81m/192-11; 6. Lucija Leko 50.98m/167-3
 
 
UP NEXT
Justin Pretre and Caden Carney will race Sunday at the Sunday Night Qualifier, hosted in Boone, North Carolina, in hopes of achieving regional qualifying times. The Bears will await the announcement of which athletes have qualified to the NCAA West Regionals, which will be contested from May 28-31 in College Station, Texas. A full list of participants will be released on Thursday, May 22.
 
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