Epic Closing of the Juan Pablo Duarte NY 2025 Games: A Festival of Dominican Sport and Culture
NEW YORK – After two weeks of intense competition, the Juan Pablo Duarte NY 2025 Games concluded with an unforgettable closing ceremony, under the motto “Sports and art walk together to strengthen our Dominican identity.” The event transformed into a vibrant cultural celebration, full of color and folkloric expressions, culminating in a stellar musical performance by Fernando Villalona and El Rubio del Acordeón, on a stage that highlighted the most emblematic symbols of Dominican culture. The Quisqueya Plaza, located in Inwood, Upper Manhattan, was the epicenter of the farewell, where thousands of Dominicans gathered to honor the nearly 2,300 athletes who participated in the event. The athletes paraded, received their recognitions, and celebrated to the rhythm of the contagious music of the artists, creating an atmosphere of celebration and national pride. The culminating moment was the symbolic extinguishing of the Olympic flame and its handover to Manhattan, the New York sector that will host the next edition in 2026. The transition was led by the Minister of Sports and Recreation of the Dominican Republic, Kelvin Cruz, who handed over the flag of the sports movement to the leaders of the Dominican Sports Union NY, headed by Evarito Madrigal. During the speeches, the success of the games was highlighted and the organizers were congratulated, especially Minister Kelvin Cruz, who praised the dedication of the Dominican leaders of New York in the preparation of the event.Cruz highlighted the magnitude of the event, describing it as “the largest Dominican games in history abroad”, with the participation of 21 disciplines. The sporting event brought together 2,300 athletes from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, who competed for hundreds of medals. The inaugural edition of the Juan Pablo Duarte Games in New York sparked the interest of the local public in sports like Fubkey, which until now were unknown to many Dominicans, who traditionally follow sports like baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Regarding the final standings, Manhattan was crowned champion with 214 points, thanks to the outstanding performance of its male and female athletes. The Bronx took second place with 206 points, followed by New Jersey, which surprised by reaching third place with 188 points. Queens County ranked fourth with 81 points, while Brooklyn finished in fifth place with 78 points.“It wasn’t an easy task, but they did an incredible job. They managed to carry out a task that wasn’t easy, and the best fans also delivered,” said Cruz.
Kelvin Cruz
