Over 3,000 athletes from six countries fight for gold in XI Central American Games 2017 participating in sports such as baseball, soccer, basketball, boxing, rugby, and beach volleyball, among others.
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"Welcome to Nicaragua, young people from the great Central American homeland, we receive them with all the affection, love and respect they deserve," the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said Sunday.
Thousands arrived from Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua including around 317 judges and referees monitoring the series of games.
"Every effort was made to have athletes ready to start the sporting takeoff in Nicaragua and today Nicaragua has its chance- with the support of the government," said Emet Lang, president of the Olympic Committee of Nicaragua.
Ortega said that "We were born together Central America and will one day be completely united," the president said thanking all those who helped with preparations and made the sports event possible.
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According to politician Enrique Armas, US$70 million was spent to construct the sports center
Coming straight out of the gate, Honduras took a strong lead with its wrestling team, winning four gold medals and ending the day with a total of seven medals. However, Day 2 saw Guatemala moving up fast, bumping Panama to third with three gold, three silver and four bronze medals. Panama currently holds a total of four medals, two of which are gold, followed by Nicaragua with a total of eight medals and finally El Salvador with six.
The 11th annual event kicked off with a spectacular display of cultural demonstrations and fireworks before beginning the various sporting competitions.
An additional nine disciplines were added on Monday including fencing, rowing, swimming, and weightlifting.