KPL
Laos and Cuba have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership in sports and physical education by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation and strengthen sports development in the Lao PDR.
The agreement was signed on 29 June 2026 at the Ministry of Education and Sports by Mr. Kingmano Phommahaxay, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, President of the National Paralympic Committee and Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, and Enna E. Viant Valdes, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the Lao PDR. Senior officials from the Department of International Cooperation, the Department of Mass Sports, Physical and Arts Education, and other relevant agencies attended the ceremony as witnesses.
The renewed MoU builds on the enduring friendship between Laos and Cuba and continues bilateral cooperation in sports, physical education and arts education. It also establishes a framework for the exchange of knowledge, technical expertise and consultations in other mutually agreed areas, further enhancing cooperation and mutual understanding between the two governments.
Cuba has been a longstanding partner in supporting Laos' human resource development. Over the years, it has awarded scholarships to Lao students to study sports and physical education, as well as Spanish, medicine and law. These educational opportunities have helped strengthen the country's professional capacity across a range of sectors.
Sports cooperation between the two countries has also continued to grow. In 2018, the Ministry of Education and Sports' Department of Elite Sports signed a cooperation agreement with Cuba's Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation. The latest cooperation programme, covering the 2022–2026 period, concluded in March this year.
In addition to educational support, Cuba has dispatched a number of experienced coaches to Laos to train national athletes, including specialists in boxing and athletics, helping improve coaching standards and athletic performance.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister Kingmano Phommahaxay expressed his sincere appreciation to Ambassador Enna E. Viant Valdes and, through her, to the Government of Cuba for its continued assistance in developing the Lao PDR's human resources. He said the partnership has played an important role in strengthening the country's sports sector and expressed confidence that the renewed agreement would further deepen cooperation and contribute to raising Laos' sporting standards towards the international level.
KPL
