"For participating in the Olympics, we were paid $460 for the round trip, and for the Olympic title, 100,000 Cuban pesos. But it was converted to 1x24, and you went from having 300 CUC to 7,200 Cuban pesos. Challenges and Desertions in Cuban CanoeingTorres' statements come at a challenging time for Cuban canoeing. In July 2026, nine out of the 12 members of the Cuban canoeing team defected, and at least one athlete left the delegation during the Santo Domingo 2026 Games. Fernando Dayán Jorge, Torres' Olympic partner, defected in Mexico in March 2022 and competed in Paris 2024 under the Refugee Olympic Team.