Occur every 4 years Website 2014 Official Website | Last event November 14–30, 2014 | |
First event October 30 - November 2, 1926 Purpose Sports for Central American and Caribbean people | ||
The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial (every 4 years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The Games are for countries in Central America, the Caribbean, as well as for Mexico, Bermuda, and the South American countries of Suriname, Guyana, Colombia and Venezuela.
Contents
The Games are overseen by the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organization (CACSO) (the organization also goes by the acronym "ODECABE", from its full Spanish name: Organización Deportiva Centroamericana y del Caribe). They are designed to provide a step between sub-CACG-region Games held the first year following a Summer Olympics (e.g. Central American Games) and the Continental Championships, the Pan American Games, held the year before the Summer Olympics.
The most recent CACGs took place in Veracruz, Mexico. The next edition will take place in 2018 in Barranquilla, Colombia.
History
The CACGs are the oldest continuing regional games in the world, and only the Olympics have run longer. Mexico, Cuba and Guatemala were the three countries present at the first games, which were then called the Central American Games. In 1935 their name was changed to Central American and Caribbean Games to reflect expanding participation. Thirty one nations took part in the 1993 games in Puerto Rico and the 1998 games in Venezuela. The 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games ended on July 30, 2006.
A "Central American Games" does exist today, Juegos Centroamericanos, involving just Central American countries.
Editions
The first two editions of the games were known as the "Central American Games" at the time, but the edition lineage continued after the inclusion of the Caribbean in 1935.