At the general assembly of Centro Caribe Sports, WDBF Duane Wysynski presented the sport of dodgeball to the 30 National Olympic Committees gathered in San Salvador as part of the XIV Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe. Centro Caribe is the the regional branch of Pan American Sports representing NOCs in Central America and Caribbean.

The presentation focused on the emerging sport as an inclusive, accessible and affordable offering for countries within the region, many of which face challenges related to facilities and space restrictions. “Dodgeball is played in some way or shape in most countries around the world,” Wysynski told the assembly, “whether you play something similar to the international game, as they do in Mexico or Colombia, or if you play ‘dandy shandy’, as is the traditional kids game in Jamaica, the sport’s concept is a familiar one.”

Wysynski went on to provide information on the Federation’s membership and its growth over the years, including a recent surge in the region where several Caribbean nations have joined with North American and Caribbean Dodgeball Federation, which will hold its continental championships in Houston this coming December.

This is the first stage of a bid to introduce the sport into the Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe. The Games is one of the oldest multi-sport events in existence, and was first held in Mexico City in 1926.

WDBF members from the Centro Caribe region currently include Aruba, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago.