Venezuela families appreciate support of hockey community at LATAM Cup

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Justin Orbegozo played at the 2026 Amerigol LATAM Cup with a heavy heart and a sense of purpose.

The 13-year-old center was performing well at the tournament, with eight assists as of Tuesday, but he couldn’t help thinking about relatives who are still suffering after deadly earthquakes that rocked his familial homeland in June.

“I really want to represent my country and tradition,” said Justin, who lives in Coral Springs and has a grandmother and other relatives in Venezuela. “With everything that everyone in Venezuela has experienced with the earthquakes and everything, I just want to represent my country.”

The LATAM Cup is helping victims of the earthquakes that claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people by collecting canned goods, clothing and other items throughout the tournament to send to the devastated Latin American country.

“That means a lot to me,” Justin said. “The entire tournament is coming together to help this one country that experienced really bad earthquakes, and that means a lot to me and my family.”

Juan de Dios Singer, president of the Venezuelan Hockey Association, called the support “huge.”

“It's amazing for us for support the people in my country,” said Singer, who has four teams and 73 players at the tournament.

They are among more than 1,500 players competing at the LATAM Cup that began on Saturday at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs and Palm Beach Skate Zone in Wellington, Florida, and runs through Sunday.

They are representing 16 countries and territories, including Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Venezuela and Indigenous/First Nation tribes.

Venezuela won a silver medal in the U12 Select division on Tuesday following a 12-6 loss to Ararat HC, a team representing Armenia. Brazil won the bronze medal.

Ana Pena, a Caracas, Venezuela, native, said she’s enjoyed watching her 14-year-old son, Christian Rivas Pena, play with Venezuela’s U16 team, but admits that it’s been an emotional balancing act for her and other Venezuelan parents.

“As parents, we are trying to be happy for our kids, representing our country in this moment,” Pena said. “But at the same time, we're thinking about all those families that lost their kids and they won't be able to cheer for them anymore. It’s very special representing Venezuela in this moment, and we’re always proud of our heritage and to come here to do our best. But this year it has a different connotation as Venezuelans.”

Pena said she’s appreciative of the support and expressions of sympathy that she has received from opposing players and families at the tournament.

“It is heartwarming because we don't feel alone,” she said. “We have countries here like Argentina that we play against, their country has stepped up with rescue groups, rescue dogs and supplies. We play against Colombia, but we feel support from that community. We are asking people not to forget what happened and keep supporting us because reconstruction is going to take long.”

Danelia Perez, a Palm Beach resident whose 10-year-old son Anthony Nheme played for Venezuela’s U12 team, said she’s thrilled with the outpouring of support that Venezuela is receiving from the hockey community, from the LATAM Cup rinks and beyond.

“I still have all my uncles and grandparents there, and they’re suffering,” Perez said. “We got a bunch of bags right now from people from other rinks up north. And from this rink, we got some bags and a lot of help from other families.

“It’s awesome,” Perez added. “Hockey is awesome, and the hockey community is great.”