There was a time when Cuba were feared on the world stage and the team claimed a string of elite championships in the 1990s. Although those days have passed, the Cubans are trying to build a bright new future. They won the World Grand Prix in 1993 and 2000 and claimed silver as recently as 2008. The Central American side finished eighth in Group 2 last year in what was their 20th participation in the tournament, from which they have collected a tally of eight medals.
The Cubans finished last season with a disappointing World Championship campaign. After finishing 12th in the 2010 edition, Juan Carlos Gala’s side won just one set and lost every match en route to an equal-21st place finish in Italy. It has been quite a fall for Cuba, who won consecutive golds in 1994 and 1998. It is 15 years since the team won their third straight gold medal on the Olympic stage and they failed to qualify for the London 2012 Games. However, the Cubans can boast of continuing success at the Pan American Games where they have taken a medal each time the competition has been staged since 1967. The last of their eight golds came in 2007 and they took silver in 2011. They will be back this year to try to maintain their record in Toronto, Canada.