Barranquilla - Central American and Caribbean Sports Games 2018

Central American and Caribbean Sports Games 2018: organization and joy

In 2018, Colombia carried out with great success one of the most important sporting events in the region: the XXIII edition of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Games.

Barranquilla was designated as the official headquarters of the fair, and the decision could not be more accurate. The capital of the Atlantic showed off with a high-level organization that responded to the most demanding standards so that for 16 days, around 7,000 athletes from 37 countries competed in 47 different sports disciplines.

It was a challenge in which Barranquilla and Colombia demonstrated an enormous capacity to organize events of great magnitude. In total, approximately 354 billion Colombian pesos (more than 100 million dollars) were invested to remodel and adapt 11 sports venues, such as the Romelio Martínez Stadium, the Edgar Rentería Stadium, the Julio Torres Stadium, the Elias Chegwin Sports Arena, the Sugar Baby Rojas Coliseum, the Rackets District Park, the Alex Cujavante Patinadrome, the Daniel Barragan BMX Track, the Little League Stadium, among others.

Participating athletes from all countries did not tire of praising the quality of the facilities and sports venues of the Atlantic capital.

Likewise, it should be noted that some scenes from Bogotá and Cali were also part of the event.

The effort paid off, as Steve Stoute, president of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization (Odecabe), called the games held in Barranquilla the best in history, thanks to the help of 2,560 volunteers who worked tirelessly from day one to the last.

But what was the secret of the success of the XXIII Central American and Caribbean Sports Games?

In addition to an impeccable organization, the city of Barranquilla brought all its joy and culture to make the event a true celebration of the sport.

This was demonstrated at the opening ceremony, which featured an impressive futuristic show in which former Major League baseball player Édgar Rentería participated, and the renowned world music star, Barranquilla Shakira.

Likewise, the closing ceremony, which was attended by more than 30 thousand people, was adorned with a taste and joy of Barranquilla Carnival and vallenata music.

Both ceremonies were held at the legendary Roberto Meléndez Metropolitan Stadium, the usual headquarters of the Colombian National Soccer Team.

The event culminated with Mexico in the first place, with 132 golds, followed by Cuba and Colombia.

But the country's success was not only sporting, as the victory was also resounding in terms of organization. And if these games proved anything, Colombia and its Caribbean coast are development poles that have the infrastructure and joy necessary to take charge of all kinds of events and take them to the highest level.