{"id":735,"date":"2026-07-25T15:24:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T15:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centrocaribesports.org\/en\/?p=735"},"modified":"2026-07-25T15:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T15:24:31","slug":"luis-mejia-oviedo-calls-on-the-dominican-people-to-compete-for-the-gold-medal-of-hospitality-at-the-opening-of-santo-domingo-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centrocaribesports.org\/en\/news\/luis-mejia-oviedo-calls-on-the-dominican-people-to-compete-for-the-gold-medal-of-hospitality-at-the-opening-of-santo-domingo-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis Mej\u00eda Oviedo Calls on the Dominican People to Compete for the \u201cGold Medal of Hospitality\u201d at the Opening of Santo Domingo 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SANTO DOMINGO – <\/strong>Centro Caribe Sports President Luis Mej\u00eda Oviedo delivered an inspiring address during the Opening Ceremony of the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, highlighting the historic significance of the centennial edition and calling on the Dominican people to become the region\u2019s finest hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mej\u00eda Oviedo stated that the night of July 24, 2026, marks the beginning of the second century of the Central American and Caribbean Games, describing the event as a platform for integration, solidarity and friendship among nations since its inception in Mexico <\/strong>in <\/strong>1926.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his remarks, he recalled the three occasions on which the Dominican Republic has hosted the regional Games and paid tribute to historic figures of Dominican sport, including\u00a0Juan Ulises Garc\u00eda Saleta (Wiche), the driving force behind\u00a0Santo Domingo 1974;\u00a0Roque Napole\u00f3n Mu\u00f1oz, for\u00a0Santiago 1986; and\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Joaqu\u00edn Puello Herrera, for the\u00a02003 Pan American Games. He also acknowledged the support of the successive governments whose commitment made those sporting events possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Centro Caribe Sports President expressed special gratitude to\u00a0President Luis Abinader\u00a0for supporting the organization of\u00a0Santo Domingo 2026\u00a0amid the challenges posed by the pandemic and international conflicts, circumstances that complicated the selection of a host city for the Games. He also recognized the work of the Organizing Committee, led by\u00a0Jos\u00e9 P. Monegro, the\u00a0Dominican Olympic Committee, volunteers, the media, the Armed Forces, the\u00a0National District City Hall, and the\u00a0Ministry of Sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the most emotional moments of his speech, Mej\u00eda Oviedo paid tribute to the athletes and coaches, highlighting the sacrifice, discipline and dedication behind every competition. He also asked the audience for a round of applause in memory of the Venezuelan athletes who lost their lives following the recent earthquake in their country, expressing the solidarity of the regional sports movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the Dominican people, he said that throughout the Games there would be two competitions: the sporting contest, in which athletes will compete for medals, and another involving the entire nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cLet us compete for the gold medal of hospitality, for the gold medal of respect, solidarity, organization and joy,\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

he said, inviting Dominicans to welcome the participating delegations with the warmth and spirit for which the country is known.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SANTO DOMINGO – Centro Caribe Sports President Luis Mej\u00eda Oviedo delivered an inspiring address during the Opening Ceremony of the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, highlighting the historic significance of the centennial edition and calling on the Dominican people to become the region\u2019s finest hosts. Mej\u00eda Oviedo stated that the night of July 24, 2026, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[24,33,7,32],"class_list":["post-735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-athletes","tag-ccs","tag-centro-caribe-sports","tag-santo-domingo-2026"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLuis Mej\u00eda Oviedo Calls on the Dominican People to Compete for the \u201cGold Medal of Hospitality\u201d at the Opening of Santo Domingo 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Luis Mej\u00eda Oviedo Calls on the Dominican People to Compete for the \u201cGold Medal of Hospitality\u201d at the Opening of Santo Domingo 2026\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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