Very soon, Mexicans will welcome the Qualifier for the Central American and Caribbean Games. Hosting a tournament of this magnitude requires extensive preparation to meet the challenge—and because they know this is the first step toward growing the sport even further in the country.
From May 3 to 11, the city will host the championship that allows teams to dream of taking the next step in the region. The top two finishers, both men’s and women’s teams, will qualify for the Central American and Caribbean Games and then have the chance to advance to the Pan American Games, where they’ll face the best of the best.
In the men’s division, Bermuda, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Venezuela, and the host country will compete. For the women’s division, the same countries will participate, except Puerto Rico will replace Jamaica. While these nations don’t have a long history in the sport, they’re working to take off and continue developing their programs to become truly competitive.
Karla Pérez Cabañas, the current President of the Mexican Federation, sees this tournament as a milestone in the country’s sporting development. “We are very happy to host this first event in our country and are grateful for the trust and support given by PAHF. It’s a great challenge and puts all our skills and strategies to the test to make each delegation feel at home—and more importantly, feel like family,” she explained.
The president knows that in order to evolve, it takes “will, commitment, and great responsibility.” That’s why she noted, “Development and promotion are primarily being carried out in states where hockey is still afloat. Where the sport is already established, the focus is on strengthening specific needs to continue advancing.”
Beyond all the logistics and organization, there’s a fundamental element in tournaments: fairness and officiating. That’s why “the Mexican Federation has also been working with the affiliated umpire college, based on a strategy of training, support, and development,” Pérez Cabañas said.
To ensure everything goes according to plan, many moving parts are needed. But the leading role is played by the teams—the ones dreaming of climbing out of the lower rungs of the rankings. Little by little, quietly, to become greater. Mexico dreams of that. This time, it's providing the home, but it’s also putting its heart and goals on the table to achieve something big. It no longer wants to be ranked 31st (women) and 33rd (men) in the world.
Will the host nation make it?
