Puerto Rico at the Centennial Games
By Carlos Uriarte González
On February 5, 1938—88 years ago—the IV Central American and Caribbean Games were inaugurated, featuring 10 countries and 1,216 athletes competing in 18 sports and 100 final events. Colombia and Venezuela made their debut at the Games, and for the first time women competed in athletics, fencing, and tennis.
Other sports making their debut at the Games included boxing, cycling, frontenis, weightlifting, and water polo. A Fine Arts Competition was also organized, encompassing architecture, sculpture, painting, engraving, caricature, graphic arts, literature, and music, along with an exhibition chess tournament and a youth pentathlon event. For the second time, a Journalists’ Congress was held, with 105 participants.
Puerto Rico competed for the third time with a delegation of 89 men and 9 women, finishing fourth in the medal table with 38 medals (16 gold, 11 silver, 11 bronze). The top three positions in the medal standings were closely contested: Mexico with 72 medals (24-32-16), Panama with 66 (24-22-20), and Cuba with 60 (24-17-19).
The Games’ press selected Puerto Rican athlete Juan Luyanda, from athletics, as the best male athlete of the Games, and Cuban swimmer Olga Luque as the best female athlete.
Carlos Uriarte González