Men's volleyball was the only collective sport in which Cuba qualified for the Games, having returned to the Olympic scene after a sixteen-year absence. For individual-based sports, Cuba made its Olympic debut in badminton, as well as its return to fencing, modern pentathlon, and beach volleyball after being absent from London 2012, and artistic gymnastics after 12 years. Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the Cuban team, with 43 entries. There was a single competitor each in archery, badminton, fencing, and taekwondo.