CAC Games 2006

The Resources
The cost of hosting any sporting event is relatively high. The cost of hosting a multisport event such as the CAC Games is extremely expensive.
In the case of the 20th CAC Games, the decision was taken to include 28 sports. Immediately, the organising committee recognised that if the membership of the CACSO wanted 28 sports, some would have to be hosted elsewhere. Thus it was that wile Cartagena was the official host city, Bogota and Barranquilla, other major cities in Colombia, had to play host to some of the events.
Additionally, the Dominican Republic, host to the Pan American games 2003, was also asked to host five sports under the umbrella of the 20th CAC Games.
In Colombia, the organising committee had to ensure that the commitment given by the Federal Government to support the event was manifested in the availability of funds to construct the venues needed and to guarantee the accommodation, meals and transportation needs of participating delegations.
Prior to the hosting of the 20th CAC Games, Cartagena was only known for football and baseball and to a much lesser extent, recreational roller skating.
The hosting of several major sports for the duration of the Games meant that the resources had to be acquired to construct an athletics stadium, a swimming pool with facilities for diving, a combat complex and a volleyball complex. In addition, several existing facilities had to be significantly upgraded while some buildings had to be transformed to accommodate sporting disciplines where they had never been played before.
The organising committee also had the responsibility to find the resources to accommodate the large numbers that came to participate in the Games.
The Games therefore necessarily cost the Government of Colombia millions of dollars as it eventually met its commitment to Cartagena.
Of course, the fact that 2006 was a year of national elections helped in the acquisition of Government resources.

The Infrastructure
Many mayors have been elected and demitted office during the six-years that Cartagena had been preparing for the 20th CAC Games.
There have also been many changes in the composition and leadership of the organising committee.