Last night the Central American and Caribbean Fire arrived at the San Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez airport, coming from Mexico, to illuminate the San Salvador 2023 Games that begin in just 17 days.
The arrival occurred just hours after the New Fire was lit in the Stepped Basement of the Moon in the Teotihuacán Archaeological Zone, an act in which Yamil Bukele, president of COSSAN2023; Luis Mejía, president of Centro Caribe Sports; Armando Bruni, president of the Olympic Committee of El Salvador, and authorities of the Olympic Committee of Mexico.
The New Fire arrived on Cuscatleca land in the hands of the president of COSSAN2023, it will spend the night at the airport and tomorrow it will begin its journey to San Luis Talpa, department of La Paz.
“Today in Mexico the flame that means discipline and passion was given to us. Today the flame lands in San Luis Talpa to begin its journey tomorrow,” said Bukele as he handed over the torch to archery athletes Roberto Hernández and Sofía Paiz.
“We invite all Salvadorans to experience this first-rate sports festival, to support our athletes and show that as a country we can achieve great goals,” Bruni said.
The lighting of the New Fire is an ancient Mesoamerican ritual that marked the end of a cycle in the Mesoamerican calendar and the beginning of a new one.
After San Luis Talpa, the flame will move to Surf City, in La Libertad, where it will spend the night to leave for Sonsonate and then take the Nahuizalco, Salcoatitán, Juayúa, Apaneca, Ataco and Ahuachapán route.
The sail of the games will continue its course towards Santa Ana, Chalatenango, Cabañas, Cuscatlán, Usulután, Morazán, San Miguel, La Unión, La Paz. Then it will leave for Nuevo Cuscatlán, Soyapango until it ends at the Jorge “El Mágico” González National Stadium for the official lighting on June 23 at 7 pm.
Luis Mejía, the president of Centro Caribe Sports, explained the day before that the fire ignites in Mexico because it was in that nation where the games were born.
And indeed, the Mexican Olympic Society managed before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the endorsement of the creation of the Central American Games which was sealed on July 14, 1924 in Paris. Hence, it is known as the oldest sports fair in the region.