Central American and Caribbean Games

The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for 32 countries and 5 territories in Central America, the Caribbean (Caribbean Countries), Mexico, and the South American Caribbean countries of Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The games are overseen by Centro Caribe Sports (formerly CACSO). 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 last Games were held in San Salvador between 23 June to 8 July 2023. The next Games will be held in Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic as main host in 2026. 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. The 1942 edition was suspended after the impact of the World War II. A "Central American Games" does exist today, Juegos Centroamericanos, involving just Central American countries. 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 nations in 1935.