Dominican Republic to Launch 2026 University Sports Games with 2,300+ Athletes

Tournament Growth and Participation Numbers

The multi-sport collegiate event features more than 2,300 student-athletes representing 23 higher education institutions across the country. According to Ministry of Deportes y Recreación (Miderec) records, the competitor pool has expanded by over 40 percent compared to last year’s revival edition, which featured 1,800 athletes. Minister Kelvin Cruz noted that the tournament provides a platform for students completing their academic preparation to share and get to know each other. Juan Vila, the vice minister of University Sports, outlined the technical and logistical blueprint during the preliminary announcements, while Isaac García de la Cruz, president of the Dominican Association of University Rectors, thanked the sports ministry for establishing the games as an axis of its execution calendar.

Full Schedule of Disciplines and Competition Venues

Student competitors will battle across 16 different sporting events over a span of three weekends, running until Sunday, October 18. The official program includes chess, track and field, basketball, baseball, football, futsal, judo, karate, swimming, softball, weightlifting, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, and beach volleyball.

The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) serves as the primary hub for the games, hosting basketball, judo, karate, taekwondo, baseball, and softball matches. Additional fixtures are distributed across multiple facilities, including the Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Salomé Ureña (ISFODOSU), the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU), the Club Deportivo Naco, Club Calero, and public recreation grounds at Güibia and Eugenio María de Hostos parks.

To support the student competitors, state logistical agencies have coordinated auxiliary services. Nutrition and catering are handled by the Comedores Económicos del Estado, while ground transportation throughout Greater Santo Domingo is provided by TRAE.

Representing universities from all across the country, the 23 participating academic entities comprise the Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Salomé Ureña (ISFODOSU), Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Universidad Organización y Métodos (O&M), Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), and the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD).

Rounding out the complete list of competing institutions are the Universidad Central del Este (UCE), BARNA, Universidad Católica Tecnológica de Barahona (UCATEBA), Universidad Católica Nordestana (UCNE), Universidad Tecnológica del Cibao Oriental (UTECO), Instituto Superior de Agricultura (ISA), Universidad Nacional para la Defensa (UNADE), Universidad Nacional Evangélica (UNEV), Universidad Abierta para Adultos (UAPA), Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario (ITSC), Universidad Católica del Cibao (UCATECI), Universidad Nacional Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal (UFHEC), Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE), Universidad Católica de Santo Domingo (UCSD), Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA), Instituto Tecnológico de las Américas (ITLA), Universidad APEC (UNAPEC), and the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU).