The Cuba men's national volleyball team (Spanish: Selección masculina de voleibol de Cuba) represents Cuba in international volleyball competitions and friendly matches, governed by Federación Cubana De Voleibol. Cuba in the 1976 Summer Olympics won their first bronze medal. In FIVB competitions, the national team won one gold each at World Cup, World Grand Champions Cup, World League and Challenger Cup. Cuba also attained two silver and two bronze World Championship medals and have won the NORCECA Championship 15 times with a 6-peat record.
After 2001, many players defected from Cuba seeking better life conditions. Some of them excelled during their pro career, being more often considered the best of their positions. The following list follow 15 men throughout that period of time, that one way or another make history and were called Dream team squad.
Eight members of the Cuban national men's volleyball team, including the team's captain, were held in Tampere, Finland on suspicion of aggravated gang rape of a 35-year-old Finnish woman,[1][2] as of July 2016. Two of them later had their charges dismissed.[3] The incident took place in the Hotel Ilves at Tampere where the Olympics-bound Cuban team were staying. The arrested players were scheduled to play with the Cuban team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[4]
On 16 August, the six team members still remaining in custody were charged with aggravated rape at Pirkanmaa District Court[5] and the proceedings started on 29 August.[6] On 20 September, four of the men, Osmany Uriarte, Rolando Cepeda Abreu, Ricardo Norberto Calvo, and Abraham Alfonso Gavilán were given five-year jail sentences, while Luis Sosa Sierra was facing a prison term of three and a half years.[7][8] All men appealed, and on 30 June 2017, the Turku court of appeal decreased the length of all sentences and lifted the sentence of Sosa Sierra.[9][10] Sosa Sierra was found not guilty due to lack of evidence, and he received compensation from the government of Finland of 200,000 euros for financial and reputational harm.[11]
According to The New York Times, the Cuban Volleyball Association stated early on that the athletes’ behavior was counter to the “discipline the sense of honor and respect that govern our sport and society”.[12]
Kit providers
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Cuba national volleyball team.
