Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador 2023 close | News

With a colorful ceremony, which recalled 18 days of competitions lived to the limit by athletes and fans, the 24th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador - Dominican Republic 2023 concluded this Saturday in San Salvador.

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The closing ceremony took place behind closed doors on the athletics track of the Héroes y Mártires stadium of the University of El Salvador. It included a parade of flags and organizations that became a greeting to the union between nations through sport, as well as a symbol of respect and fraternity.

The president of the Organizing Committee of the fair, Yamil Bukele, thanked the presence in his country of athletes, coaches and federations. He congratulated them on the effort made and the results obtained, and wished them a happy return to their nations.

In addition, he congratulated his compatriots for the discipline and enthusiasm shown, including those who were directly involved in the preparation of the facilities and the volunteers.

Likewise, he thanked the Dominican Republic for having hosted various disciplines during these games, which served as calisthenics to host the Central American and Caribbean Games corresponding to 2026.

For his part, the president of Centro Caribe Sports, the Dominican Luis Mejía, thanked the Salvadoran authorities for the effort made to demonstrate that the JJ.CC. they could be organized in just a year and a half and celebrated.

"I declare these as the best games in the competition, I declare these as the best games in Central America and the Caribbean in our history," he said.

He considered that the sports event left the Central American nation what he described as an immense legacy, "with first-class sports facilities, which for many more years will be used by its population to be able to play sports and continue transforming their lives."

He said that more than 60 Central American records were broken and 400 direct places to the Santiago de Chile 2023 Pan American Games were obtained, in addition to a dozen Olympic qualifications. He added that 29 out of 35 participating countries won medals.

The ceremony concluded to the rhythm of bachata and merengue, announcing the intense days that the sports movement of Central America and the Caribbean will experience during the Dominican Republic 2026.

Once again, Mexico was the champion of the tournament, with 145 gold, 108 silver and 100 bronze medals, for a total of 353. Colombia (87-92-65/244) and Cuba (74-59-63/196) followed. ), while Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico reached places 4, 5 and 6.