Managua 2017: Nicaragua and The XI Central American Games

Logo of the 2017 Central American Games

 The XI Central American Games will be held over 15 days between December 3 and December 17 of 2017.

When any nation, big or small, sets out to host an international event the pressure can expose the flaws and fractures of that host society.  For Nicaragua, often cited as the poorest of the Central American nations, the opportunity to host the 2017 games comes during a period of mixed successes and failures, but with great hope.



Among the many international muti-sport events that dot the calendar on any given year, Los Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos hold perhaps the least prominence.  Known only regionally, the games primarily celebrate the shared cultural heritage of Central American nations and provide the only international stage wherein many athletes of the region will ever see an international medal.  Bragging rights are important here even if there are generally few occasions for them.

Even when compared to the similarly named Central American and Caribbean Games, the Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos tend to be overshadowed in almost every aspect.  Most notably by the larger membership of the former and the higher quality of athleticism and competition that such a wider international community provides.  The Central American and Caribbean Games, which also boast the inclusion of Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, are always dominated by those countries.  Looking at the historical medal counts of these the only two Cental American nations that figure into the top ten are Guatemala and Costa Rica, with the last two rankings of 9 and 10.  However, no Central American nation has ever won the top medal count at any of the Central American and Caribbean Games since their inception in 1950.  This makes the Juegos Centroamericanos regionally more important.

For Nicaragua, this year's games will be the first time it ever hosts the XI Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos, now their 11th meeting.  And as host nation it can be expected to perform better than it ever has.  During the 2013 games, Nicaragua's performance was par for the course coming near the bottom in the medal count.  But Nicaragua is well aware of how hosting the games raises opportunities.  Recently, Nicaragua cemented a cooperation agreement with the Cuban Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation, to help its athletes perform at a higher capacity.  The deal primarily brings Cuban athletes and coaches to train Nicaraguan athletes.  It's unlikely that this deal will transform Nicaragua's sports teams in time for the upcoming games in December, but the combination of hosting the games, building new infrastructure, and gaining the support and expertise of the demonstrably superior Cuban delegation, the Managua games could mark the beginning of an athletic renaissance in Nicaragua.  

So far the government of Daniel Ortega has committed as estimated 75 million US dollars to the games, mostly bound toward updating the country's infrastructure.  By comparison the 2013 games hosted in San Jose, Costa Rica came at an estimated cost of 25 million US dollars.  This raises a fair question of whether those resources could be of better use in other areas of social need across the country, but unlike the "white elephants" that often remain after such international competitions in other nations, Nicaragua's basic infrastructure needs are so many that very little of this expenditure could be said to be superfluous.  Rather, the Ciudad Deportiva, and the national stadium under construction will likely create new economic opportunities for tourism and trade in this often overlooked Latin American capital.  Additionally, as is the case with all such international games, although Managua is the center of the action, various sports will require a larger footprint which for the first time will force much of that investment to be spread across all corners of Nicaragua.

All that is contingent on the ability of the Nicaraguan government to manage the funds allocated and maintain an eye towards the future needs of the country.  This will essentially amount to yet another test of Ortega's government, whose economic and public security work has been lauded, but whose socialist tendencies and ideologies are still distrusted by the United States and a vocal ex-pat Nicaraguan community.

Though we expect Guatemala and Costa Rica to dominate the medal counts, we look forward to seeing the Nicas show the world what they can do, and quiet the critics.