Cuban taekwondo filled with hope ahead of Rio 2016

The President of Cuba's taekwondo federation, Carlos Banasco, said Tuesday that Cuban taekwondo is having its best moments.

"Cuban taekwondo is living its best moments, due to a great job by coaches at all levels, and due to general discipline, including compliance with the strict preparation program for athletes," said Banasco, cited by the official daily Granma.

The island's taekwondo champions have not secured their places for the 2016 Rio Olympics yet they hope to do it in March during a major tournament in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

The sports official remarked that, due to a lack of funds, Cuban taekwondo players only attend mandatory events, such as the Pan American Games and the World Championships.

Taekwondo schools and domestic competitions provide opportunities for Cuban players to gain experience and spot in the national squad.

"Without high level matches we can not be as good as we are," said Banasco.

The island's main hopes in Rio rest with Rafael Alba (87kg) and the returning Glenhis Hernandez (67kg), a former world champion who was banned for a year for giving the middle finger to Mexico's Maria Rosario Espinoza during the Centro-American Games Veracruz 2014.

Cuba is the only member country of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) not having South Korean coaches. However, that fact and a low budget have not impeded the island's representatives from becoming Pan American champions and Olympic medalists since Sydney 2000.

"We believe that the preparation program of Cuban taekwondo is magnificent and with little international experience, we have achieved great results." Endit