SANTO DOMINGO — Dominican Republic’s Minister of Sports Kelvin Cruz has officially unveiled plans for the 2026 iteration of the Juan Pablo Duarte Games, a major cross-border sporting event set to take over New York City from August 14 to 23. The multi-day competition is projected to draw over 2,000 participants, including competitive athletes based in the Dominican Republic and young athletes with Dominican heritage residing in the United States.
Far more than a typical sports tournament, the 2026 Games carry three core objectives: to foster widespread participation in athletic activity across the Dominican community, deepen the cultural and social bonds between the Dominican Republic and its large diaspora spread across the U.S., and create spaces that encourage greater cultural exchange and community integration between native and diaspora Dominican populations.
This year’s edition holds special honors, with the full event dedicated to two iconic figures in Dominican sports: José Joaquín Puello, the lifetime president emeritus of the Dominican Olympic Committee, and veteran sprinter Felicia Candelario. The dedication comes as recognition of the pair’s decades-long contributions to Dominican athletics and their recent induction into the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame.
Competitors will travel from across the Northeastern United States to take part, with registered delegations already confirmed from New York, Rhode Island, Lawrence (Massachusetts), Pennsylvania, and Boston. Organizers also expect additional teams to join from Connecticut and New Jersey, with large groups of local athletes coming from three of New York City’s most populated boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. In total, 22 different sports will be contested throughout the 10-day event.
The primary hub for all competition will be the athletic facilities at George Washington High School, located in the Manhattan borough of New York. Beyond athletic matches, the full event schedule also includes a lineup of cultural and artistic programming that highlights Dominican heritage, giving attendees and participants a well-rounded experience beyond sports.
Minister Cruz emphasized that the 2026 Games are made possible through a collaborative public-private partnership, bringing together the Dominican Ministry of Sports, the Dominican Consulate in New York, Banreservas (the Dominican Republic’s largest public financial institution), and a range of additional supporting community and institutional partners.
The 2026 tournament marks a key milestone for the event: after a multi-year hiatus, the Juan Pablo Duarte Games were revived in 2025 during Cruz’s tenure as Sports Minister, and 2026 will mark the second consecutive year the event has been held since its return.