Mr. President,
In Cuba, the practice of sport is a constitutional right. Universal and free access to sports practice is guaranteed for all, including women and girls. The national education system includes the teaching and practice of physical education and sport as part of the integral formation of children, adolescents, and young people.
The impressive international results achieved by Cuban women athletes, despite the severe limitations imposed by the criminal blockade of the United States, demonstrate the importance of guaranteeing opportunities from an early age for all persons, including girls.
Cuban sport would not be what it is without the strength of its women. More than 23 percent of Cuba’s Olympic medals have been won by female athletes.
At the last Olympic Games, 27 of the 61 athletes in the Cuban delegation were women. At the 2024 Paralympic Games, Cuba doubled the female presence in its delegation compared to the previous edition.
Many Cuban women also serve as coaches, referees, doctors, managers, and sports officials. The majority of our physical education teachers are women. They are the ones who identify talent and help shape the habits of future stars.
Thousands of Cuban specialists have cooperated, and continue to cooperate, in the sports development of more than one hundred countries. This has benefited thousands of women and girls across all continents, many of whom have become elite athletes and sporting icons in their nations.
Despite these achievements, challenges remain. The Programme for the Advancement of Women in Cuba includes among its objectives the full empowerment of women in sport.
Sport is an effective tool for achieving inclusion and equality of opportunities. We call on this Council to promote the full empowerment of women and girls in sport, without discrimination.
Thank you.