Rio 2016 Olympic Games & Schedules: What Sports and Events Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans Dominate and Proudly Represent

Created by Claudia Balthazar Aug 15 2016, 10:47 AM EDT

The excitement is heating up in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where athletes from all over the world have come together to compete in several different sports.

This year, athletes from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba are competing for gold medals while embracing their country’s pride.

Puerto Ricans in the 2016 Rio Olympics

Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puig recently won a gold medal for Women’s tennis. She is the first to win a gold medal for the Caribbean country.

Monica defeated Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber.

“I know the country really appreciates this, and I really wanted to give this victory to them,” Puig said. “And the way I did it tonight, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The athlete grew up in Miami, Florida and trains in Boca Raton but she chose to represent the country of her ethnicity.

“That island has given me so much, so much love and support throughout my whole career, and I just owe this to them,” Puig said.

Puerto Rico Schedule for 2016 Rio Olympics

Here are Upcoming Featured Events for Puerto Rico:

Mon. Aug. 15 at 8:30 a.m. EST: Track & Field – Women’s 200m
Mon. Aug. 15 at 10:35 a.m. EST: Track & Field – Men’s 400m hurdles

Dominicans in the 2016 Rio Olympics

This year was the first time that the Dominican Republic ever qualified for an Olympic archer.

The country was able to send its first-ever archer to the Olympic Games after Dominican archer Yessica Camilo beat Cuban athlete Elizabeth Rodriguez in a shoot-off. She scored 557 out of 720 points in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Dominican Flag Bearer in 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Luguelin Santos was the flag bearer for the 2016 Rio Olympics, where 29 athletes competed in 11 different sports.

Cubans in the 2016 Rio Olympics

The International Boxing Association approved a change in its constitution this summer, making it possible for the first team of professional boxers to compete in the Olympic games.

It is the first time that male boxers have competed in the ring with no head guards on, like in amateur style fighting. Boxers have been competing with head guards on in the Olympics since the 1980s.

Cubans Dominate in Boxing Sports

Cuban amateur boxers have dominated Olympic and World Championships for more than four decades. They have a good shot at winning a few gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Cuba has won 67 medals in the ring thus far. 34 of those medals were gold.