The Pan American Games are, in many ways, the offspring of the Central American Games. During the 1924 Congress of the International Olympic Committee, the Cuban and Guatemalan delegates, urged on by Mexico’s Alfredo B. Cuellar and Enrique C. Aguirre, suggested the establishment of the Central American Games. The first games took place in Mexico, in 1926, with 269 athletes from Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico. Eight countries participated at the II Central American Games held four years later in Havana.
By 1938 the Games were renamed the Central American and Caribbean Games and they are the oldest regional games. The Central American and Caribbean Sport Organization (ODECABE) now boasts 32 member countries. More than 5,000 athletes attended the XVIII Central and Caribbean Games, held at Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 1998.
These images are from posters created for the I and II Central American Games in 1926 and 1930. The 1926 image depicts a profile of a nude athlete holding a large stylized olive branch. Crests of the Central American countries emanate from the branch, interesting given that only three countries participated. The Central American Games symbol is at the top of the image. The symbol is three colored discs pierced left to right by a black javelin. The 1930 image shows a thinly clad runner with a baton in hand. A skyline depiction of Havana is placed at the bottom of the image. The background reveals a map of Central American with the city of Havana highlighted by two circles. A red band runs across the top third of the image.