24th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games
The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos y del Caribe San Salvador 2023), also known as the 24th Central American and Caribbean Games and commonly known as San Salvador 2023, was the 24th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games, a quadrennial sports multi-sport event which was held from 23 June to 8 July 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador.
They were planned to take place in Panama City, Panama, until the government announced on 24 July 2020 that it had decided to withdraw as the hosts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Panama. Centro Caribe Sports had search for alternatives. In May 2021 San Salvador, El Salvador was chosen to replace Panama City as main host city, as due to infrastructure and schedule issues 7 sports were relocated to Santo Domingo, in Dominican Republic.
Bidding process.
Panama City had presented itself as the only candidate to organize the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games and also announced the commitment of the Panamanian State to invest 200 million dollars for both infrastructure and the organization of the event.
One of the advantages presented by the Panamanian delegation to Centro Caribe Sports was that it would not be necessary to build an athletes' village for the event, because instead the athletes would be hosted in hotels. On 3 February 2017, Centro Caribe Sports announced that Panama City would host the event. It would have been the third time: Panama City first hosted the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1938 and then in 1970.
On 24 July 2020, Panama announced that it was withdrawing as the host of the 2022 event as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Centro Caribe Sports expressed its surprise at the sudden withdrawal and assured that the event will still take place in 2022. It said the executive committee would meet on 25 July 2020 to discuss the issue and begin a search for solutions and alternatives.
On 15 November 2020, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico presented a bid to host the games conditioned that it receive financial support from the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. Mayagüez previously held the games in 2010, and thus would not have to invest as much on infrastructure since it would reuse most of the facilities.
Development and preparation.
Venues.
Due to infrastructure and calendar issues 7 sports were relocated to Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic: taekwondo, modern pentathlon, equestrian, canoeing, shooting, racquetball and field hockey.
Volunteers.
The National Volunteer Committee of the Salvadoran 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games Organizing Committee announced the recruitment of nearly 4,000 volunteers to assist at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
Torch relay.
The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games torch relay was from 6 June to 23 June 2023. After being lit in Teotihuacán, Mexico, the torch traveled to San Salvador on the 23 June. The Salvadoran leg began in the Aeropuerto Internacional de El Salvador in San Luis Talpa and will end in Estadio Nacional Jorge "El Mágico" Gonzalez, the main venue of the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. It visited more than 60 Salvadoran cities and towns, including all 14 state capitals. The end of the relay was the closing to the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games opening ceremony.
Participating countries.
The following nations are expected to participate:
 ;templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/ ;[a] Because the International Olympic Committee suspended the Guatemalan Olympic Committee on 15 October 2022, Guatemalan athletes are competing as Independent Olympic Athletes and are using the Centro Caribe Sports flag.
Games.
Parade of Nations.
The opening ceremony for the games was held on 23 June 2023, although the boxing tournament commenced one day earlier on 22 June 2023. The table tennis and beach volleyball tournaments commenced one two days earlier, on 21 June 2023.
Only flagbearers took part in the parade of nations. French Guiana and Saint Martin (Sint Maarten), did not take part in the parade; their flags are not hoisted in the athletes village.
Sports.
The following competitions are scheduled to place:
Calendar.
The edition of the schedule was published by National Olympic Committee of El Salvador.
"All times and dates use Atlantic Standard Time and Central Standard Time (UTC-4 and UTC-6)"
Marketing.
Emblem.
The official emblem and motto for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games was unveiled on 23 January 2023 at the former Casa Presidencial in San Jacinto, it takes the form of a circle in a colored star pattern. The design was meant to "express the constant movement, evolution and transformation process that El Salvador is experiencing". The stars "represent guided humanity since its origins and have become a symbol that represents harmony, prosperity and glory". The official slogan "Es momento de trascender" was also unveiled on 23 January 2023. The slogan will be solely used in Spanish.
Official song.
The official song for 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games was released on 8 May 2023, the song is performed by Zaki, Leena Bae, Mayki Graff, and Sebas Barcenas. The song was released by Yamil Bukele, president of the Organizing Committee of the XXIV Central American and Caribbean Games (COSSAN2023).
Mascots.
The official mascots of the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games are Maqui and Volco. Maqui a figure inspired by the Maquilíshuat tree and the Games' official emblem. Its fictional characteristics include the ability to run. Volco a figure inspired by the Quezaltepeque Volcano and the Games' official emblem. Its fictional characteristics include the ability of climbing. The official mascots for 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games were released on 23 May 2023.
Pictograms.
On 7 March 2023, the official pictograms were presented of the different disciplines that will be played in the games.
Broadcasters.
People can also follow the Central American and Caribbean Games through the SAN2023 application, which can be downloaded on the Google Play platform for Android devices, and on the App Store for iOS devices.
References.
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