With the publication this Tuesday in the Official Gazette The period of 120 calendar days was left open for the entry into force of the Law 179/2025 “On the Cuban Sports System”, the first of its kind implemented on the island.
The norm is aimed at organizing the practice of sport in the country from a legal and institutional point of view, which contributes to “better organization and functioning of that sector,” highlights a note published by the newspaper Granma.
The Law of the Cuban Sports System Published
The first of its kind in the history of the country, it will contribute to the institutional and legal strengthening of the sector. #Cuba #CubanSport https://t.co/WbnSyuN82g pic.twitter.com/LcGpVSVwI6— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) January 13, 2026
For the drafting, “the historical conception of sports practice as a right of the people” was maintained, and the experiences of other nations were taken into account, as well as the international treaties that the Cuban State has signed.
At the same time, it endorses what is established in Article 74 of the Cuban Constitution, which supports the carrying out of competitive activities, physical education and recreation as citizen rights.
The new legislation contemplates all the activities of the Cuban Sports System along with the basic and complementary services linked to it, the publication adds.
Cuba approves Sports System Law that guarantees “inclusion” and “equity”
It also updates the participation regime, while decentralizing its programming, recognizes the special status of national sport, those prioritized and massive national programs, and is committed to regionalization, the media specifies.
The text approved last July by the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP) promotes the full inclusion of people with disabilities, and in terms of the high performance pyramid, it institutionalizes the academies and rescues the Pre-EIDE and the ESPA, both at the provincial and national levels.
Among its new features is the implementation of advertising and sponsorship in sports, promoting the quality of medical services for active and retired athletes, as well as promoting compliance with anti-doping regulations.
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As part of the updating process, it recognizes the existence of several sources of financing to support this sphere, and refers to the possibilities of contributions from the Business System and international collaboration, as well as from the Central State Administration bodies and territorial structures in order to help finance the Sports System.
Karel Luis Pachot Zambrana, legal director of Inder, stressed before the press that this law transcends because it is modern, inclusive, robust, transparent and guarantees the exercise of the rights of the participating subjects in the entire sports network of the island.
The expert emphasized that State agencies and entities have been involved in its preparation, together with mass and social organizations, other non-profit associative forms and natural and legal persons.
