SANTO DOMINGO. Dominican Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino, multi-time Cuban boxing champion Julio César La Cruz, and Guatemalan race walker Erick Barrondo lead the constellation of figures who will compete in the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, which bring together nearly 6,000 athletes from 37 countries.
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Paulino arrives as one of the event’s main attractions after establishing herself as the best 400-meter runner in the world. The Dominican athlete won Olympic gold in Paris 2024 with an Olympic record of 48.17 seconds and remains undefeated in the 2026 Diamond League, with victories in Doha, Paris, Monaco, and London.
Cuban boxer Julio César La Cruz will also seek to expand his legacy. A two-time Olympic champion and four-time consecutive Pan American champion, the experienced 36-year-old fighter continues to be one of the main benchmarks of international amateur boxing.
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Among the most prominent figures is also the Guatemalan Erick Barrondo, the first athlete from his country to win an Olympic medal, after obtaining silver in the 20-kilometer walk at London 2012.
The event will also feature the presence of renowned athletes such as Puerto Rican Adriana Díaz in table tennis; Mexican Osmar Olvera, a multiple Olympic and world medalist in diving; archer Alejandra Valencia; Colombian weightlifter Yeison López and Venezuelan judoka Karen León, among other top-level exponents.
The Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games will be held from July 24 to August 8 and mark the beginning of the Olympic cycle heading toward Los Angeles 2028. In addition to the high level of competition, the event is projected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and will take place in sports facilities renovated for the occasion.
