The 25th Central American and Caribbean Games closed on Saturday in Santo Domingo with a ceremony honoring the thousands of athletes who competed across two weeks of events.
The closing ceremony took place at the Arena Banreservas Virgilio Travieso Soto inside the capital's Olympic Center, bringing an official end to a regional competition that brought together around 6,200 athletes representing 37 participating countries.
Organisers dedicated the final event to the athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and collaborators, whose contributions were praised by the committee as fundamental to the successful execution of the Games.
Dominican singer and songwriter Juan Luis Guerra delivered the most anticipated musical performance of the evening, joining the choir Más que Vencedores to perform Canto a la Patria, a song he donated to the Dominican state in 2006. The event also featured performances by Dominican artists Techy Fatule and Manny Cruz, as well as the group Ilegales.
Record medal tally and competition figures
The 2026 edition began on July 24 and featured competitions in 40 sports and 53 disciplines. Athletes contested a total of 3,244 medals, marking the highest number of medals ever awarded in the history of the Central American and Caribbean Games.
The Central American and Caribbean Games, held every four years, serve as a major regional multi-sport competition for nations across Central America, South America and the Caribbean basin.
Standout individual performances
Mexican swimmers led the individual medal counts in the pool, with Celia Pulido winning eight gold medals and Paulo Strehlke securing four gold medals during the meet.
Host nation athletes also delivered historic performances in track and field at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez. Dominican sprinters Marileidy Paulino and Liranyi Alonso set regional records in the 400 metres and 100 metres respectively, with Alonso taking home four gold medals in front of the local crowd.
Mexico achieved further multi-medal success in other sports. Canoeist Beatriz Briones earned five gold medals in sprint canoeing events, while artistic swimmer María Arellano matched that tally by winning five gold medals in her discipline.
