Colombia’s coastal city of Barranquilla has been selected to host the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games (CACG), Colombian media reported on Wednesday.
The Caribbean city of Barranquilla has been appointed host of the 23rd edition of the world’s oldest regional games, the CACG, that will take place in 2018, according to Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced on social media the excitement of Barranquilla being selected for Latin America’s most important sports competition.
“Barranquilla chosen to host the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2018. Great news for the Atlantic region and country!” said Colombia’s president.
The Central American and Caribbean Games dates back to 1926, and the competition includes a wide range of sports. The 23rd installment will be the second time that Barranquilla hosts the regional games, reported El Espectador.
When Barranquilla first hosted the CACG in 1946, it had been the first time for a city that wasn’t a capital to be the host of the games. The 1946 CACG games was the fifth edition of the event and had been postponed for four years because of World War II.
68 years later Barranquilla will be, for the second time, the home of CACG, putting Colombia once again on the map of the sporting world.
The mayor of Barranquilla, Elsa Noguera, assured that the event is of big importance for the Caribbean city and that the city is well experienced for hosting international events.
“If Barranquilla wins, the 2018 games will surely be remembered as the best in the history. We have experience in organizing great events; every year we receive thousands of tourists for the Carnival, we were host for the Sub20 football [soccer] world championship in 2011 and home of the 2014 Brazil preliminary games,” said Noguera.
The Barranquilla Carnival was proclaimed a Cultural Masterpiece of the Nation by Colombia’s National Congress in 2002 as well as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003. It is considered the second largest in the world, behind Brazil’s festivities in Rio de Janeiro.
MORE: Barranquilla Carnival comes to a close
“Today, Colombia is experiencing a great moment,” said President Santos. “We are the answer to many of the questions the world is asking; a country that is recognized for its democracy, for its biodiversity, for its culture, and for its talent.”
Sources
- Presidente Santos celebra elección de Barranquilla como sede de los Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe 2018 (Official Presidential Webpage)
- Barranquilla será sede de los Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe 2018 (El Espectador)
