A landmark regional youth sports gathering is set to bring together hundreds of young athletes from three neighboring South American territories starting this Friday, October 23. The 2026 Inter-Guyanese Games, which will run through October 25 in Suriname’s capital city of Paramaribo, welcomes competitors under the age of 18 from Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana.
Organized by the Suriname School Sports Foundation (SSFS), the three-day event will feature competitions across six core sports disciplines, plus two exhibition sports. The core competitive lineup includes chess, athletics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, and futsal (indoor soccer), while boxing and judo will take place as demonstration matches. In the demonstration disciplines, Suriname will face off against Guyana in boxing, and against French Guiana in judo. All three territories will field teams across all other core sports.
Suriname is set to field the largest delegation, with more than 150 local athletes who have spent months preparing for the tournament. Delegations from Guyana and French Guiana are expected to arrive in Suriname on October 22, and will depart for their home territories on October 26 after the conclusion of competition.
The official opening ceremony will be hosted at the Anthony Nesty Sports Arena on the opening day, which will also serve as the primary venue for most events, including volleyball, basketball, futsal, and boxing. Chess matches will be held at the Residence Inn, while the judo demonstration will take place at the Ring Sport Center on opening day.
Beyond athletic competition, the Inter-Guyanese Games place a major focus on fostering people-to-people connections between young people from the three territories. Organizers say the event is designed to encourage the exchange of experiences, build new friendships, and strengthen long-standing cultural and social bonds between the neighboring regions. Beyond that, the games aim to deepen mutual understanding and expand long-term sports cooperation across the Guianas region.