Countries qualifying for 2023 Pan Am Games & 2023 Central American & Caribbean Games

The International Racquetball Federation (IRF) has officially released the list of qualifying countries for the 2023 Pan American Games and 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. These games are both quadrennial events, so they happen every four years, and are part of the Olympic cycle of events that lead up to an Olympics.

The 2023 Pan Am Games will be held in Santiago, Chile, and the 2023 Central American Games will be in San Salvador, El Salvador. Countries qualified based on their performances at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala in April.

Usually, the Central American and Caribbean Games are held the year before the Pan Am Games, as the former is supposed to be a building block to the latter, which is supposed to be a building block to the Olympics, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to Panama - the original host of the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games - pulling out of hosting. That necessitated a search for a new host, and a one year delay in the games.

San Salvador, El Salvador was chosen as the new host for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, but seven sports are being played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, due to a lack of venues in El Salvador. Racquetball - along with tae kwon do, modern pentathlon, equestrian, canoeing, shooting and field hockey - will be played in the Dominican.

The countries that qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games are:

Men’s teams - 1) Chile (as host), 2) Bolivia, 3) Mexico, 4) United States, 5) Argentina, 6) Costa Rica, 7) Canada, 8) Ecuador, 9) Guatemala, 10) Cuba

Women’s teams - 1) Chile (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Argentina, 4) Bolivia, 5) Guatemala, 6) United States, 7) Colombia, 8) Ecuador, 9) Costa Rica, 10) Canada

The first four qualifiers can send 3 athletes, and the next four countries can send 2 athletes to Chile. So, for example, the United States can send 3 men and 2 women, while Argentina can send 3 women and 2 men.

The countries that qualified for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games are:

Men’s teams - 1) Dominican Republic (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Costa Rica, 4) Guatemala, 5) Cuba, 6) Honduras, 7) Colombia, 8) Puerto Rico

Women’s teams - 1) Dominican Republic (as host), 2) Mexico, 3) Guatemala, 4) Colombia, 5) Costa Rica, 6) Cuba, 7) Honduras, 8) Puerto Rico

Countries may be able to send more athletes than under the rules for the Pan Am Games. Again, under those rules, the first four qualifiers can send 3 athletes, and the next four countries can send 2 athletes to the Dominican. So, for example, Costa Rica can send 3 men and 2 women, while Colombia can send 3 women and 2 men. But as it’s a smaller games, perhaps more athletes can be selected to go.

The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games will be held from June 23 to July 8, with the racquetball competition taking place from June 24 to July 1 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The 2023 Pan American Games will take place October 20 to November 5 with racquetball tentatively scheduled to take place at the start of the games: October 20-26.

Below is a summary of who made the podium at the 2023 Pan American Championships to refresh your memory. Also, if you want to see any of the finals from those championships (as well as some matches from earlier in the tournament), check out the IRF YouTube channel.

XXXIV Pan American Racquetball Championships
Guatemala City, Guatemala - April 1-8, 2023

Medalist Summary

Women’s Singles

Gold - Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Silver - María José Vargas (Argentina)
Bronze - Natalia Mendez (Argentina) and Maricruz Ortiz (Costa Rica)

Men's Singles

Gold - Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Carlos Keller (Bolivia)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck (USA) and Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Women's Doubles

Gold - Alexandra Herrera & Montserrat Mejia (Mexico)
Silver - Gabriela Martinez & Maria Renee Rodriguez (Guatemala)
Bronze - Valeria Centellas & Natalia Mendez (Argentina) and Angelica Barrios & Jenny Daza (Bolivia)

Men's Doubles

Gold - Rodrigo Montoya & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico)
Silver - Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Bronze - Jake Bredenbeck & Sam Bredenbeck (USA) and Andres Acuña & Gabriel Garcia (Costa Rica)

Mixed Doubles

Gold - Angelica Barrios & Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia)
Silver - Paola Longoria & Rodrigo Montoya (Mexico)
Bronze - Sam Bredenbeck & Michelle Key (USA) and Maria Jose Vargas & Diego Garcia (Argentina)

Follow the bouncing ball….