Our Life In El Salvador

Category: sports tourism

  • Surf City Prepares to Welcome the World’s Best Young Surfers

    AI-generated image created for Our Life in El Salvador. Young female and male surfers prepare for the 2026 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship at Surf City El Salvador.

    El Salvador is preparing to welcome another major international surfing competition as the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship returns to the country in September.

    The championship will take place from September 4 through 13 at El Sunzal and La Bocana in La Libertad. These two beaches have become familiar settings for international competitions and an important part of El Salvador’s Surf City strategy.

    For ten days, some of the world’s most promising young surfers will compete while representing their countries. For many of them, this championship could become an important step toward a professional career—or even a future appearance in the Olympic Games.

    A return to familiar Salvadoran waves

    This will be the third time El Salvador has hosted the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship. The country previously welcomed the competition in 2022 and 2024.

    The return of the event says something important. International sporting organizations do not repeatedly select the same location unless it can provide dependable conditions, experienced organizers, security, accommodations, transportation, and suitable competition sites.

    El Sunzal and La Bocana offer two different types of waves. This gives organizers more flexibility as ocean conditions change during the tournament. It also tests the young competitors across different surfing conditions.

    The opening ceremony is scheduled for September 4. Competition will begin the following day and continue from sunrise to sunset. The finals and closing activities are planned for September 13, although the schedule may change depending on the waves and weather.

    More than another surfing tournament

    The ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is especially interesting because it allows spectators to see talented surfers near the beginning of their international careers.

    Some of today’s leading professional and Olympic surfers first gained worldwide attention in junior competitions. According to the International Surfing Association, 33 of the 40 surfers who competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games had previously participated in the World Junior Surfing Championship.

    That makes this event more than a youth tournament. It is one of the places where future champions begin to emerge.

    The young surfers arriving in El Salvador will bring coaches, relatives, team officials, and supporters. Many will experience the country for the first time. What they see away from the competition—including the beaches, food, hospitality, and surrounding communities—will help shape the stories they take home.

    Surf City continues building international recognition

    El Salvador has hosted 11 ISA competitions since 2019. The country’s relationship with the organization has now developed into a three-year partnership that began in 2025.

    That partnership gives El Salvador the opportunity to host major surfing events on a more regular basis. It also gives national surfing federations greater certainty when preparing their athletes and travel plans.

    ISA President Fernando Aguerre has said that El Salvador has become a special location for the organization. He pointed to the quality of the waves, the welcome provided to visitors, and the country’s support for surfing.

    The Junior Championship will not be the only ISA competition held here this year. El Sunzal will also host the ISA World Longboard Championship from October 16 through 22.

    Together, these events keep El Salvador visible within the international surfing community.

    Opportunities for coastal communities

    Major competitions can bring immediate economic activity to the surrounding area. Hotels, restaurants, transportation providers, surf shops, guides, and other small businesses may benefit from the arrival of competitors and visitors.

    However, the real value of Surf City should not be measured only by the number of tournaments held or the attention they receive online.

    Its long-term success should also be visible in the communities near the beaches. Local residents should have access to jobs, training, business opportunities, dependable public services, and clean public spaces.

    International exposure can attract visitors, but good local experiences encourage them to return. Clean beaches, safe roads, responsible development, fair access to the coastline, and care for the environment will remain essential as the area grows.

    Inspiration for young Salvadorans

    The championship can also provide inspiration for young surfers in El Salvador.

    Seeing athletes of a similar age competing for their countries can make international competition feel more achievable. It shows that surfing can involve discipline, physical preparation, coaching, responsibility, and national representation.

    El Salvador has already produced surfers capable of competing internationally. Continued investment in youth instruction and local competitions could help more Salvadoran athletes reach that level.

    Hosting world championships is valuable, but developing homegrown talent would add another important part to the country’s surfing story.

    A sign of how far El Salvador has come

    Years ago, few people outside Central America associated El Salvador with international surfing. Today, the country regularly appears on the calendars of the International Surfing Association and the World Surf League.

    That change did not happen through one tournament. It developed through years of competitions, promotion, infrastructure improvements, and the natural advantage provided by El Salvador’s Pacific coast.

    The return of the World Junior Surfing Championship offers another opportunity to present the country to an international audience. It also allows Salvadorans to watch young athletes who may become some of the biggest names in surfing during the years ahead.

    When the competition begins at El Sunzal and La Bocana, the attention will naturally focus on the waves and the results. Beyond the medals, however, the event represents something larger: El Salvador’s continuing effort to turn its coastline into a recognized center for international surfing.

    The championship includes four divisions:

    • Girls Under 16
    • Boys Under 16
    • Girls Under 18
    • Boys Under 18

    The challenge now is to make sure that this growing recognition produces lasting benefits—not only for visitors and athletes, but also for the Salvadoran communities that call this coast home.

    Sources: Diario El Salvador and the International Surfing Association.

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  • Record Participation Set for FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup 2026 in El Salvador

    International 3×3 basketball tournament inside a shopping-mall food court in El Salvador. AI-generated image for Our Life in El Salvador.

    El Salvador is preparing to welcome the largest field in the history of the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup when the continental basketball tournament comes to Plaza Merliot later this year.

    A record 45 national teams—24 men’s and 21 women’s—are registered for the competition, which will take place from October 28 through November 1, 2026. The number represents a major increase in participation and reflects the continued growth of 3×3 basketball across the Americas.

    The tournament will bring Olympic athletes, World Cup medalists, and some of the best 3×3 basketball players in the region to El Salvador.

    It will also give the Salvadoran men’s and women’s national teams an opportunity to compete at home before their families and local supporters.

    Five days of international basketball

    Competition will begin with qualifying rounds on Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29. These games will determine which teams advance to the main draw.

    The main competition will run from Friday, October 30, through Sunday, November 1, when the men’s and women’s champions will be crowned.

    As the host country, El Salvador has already secured places for both national teams in the main draw.

    The games will be held at Plaza Merliot, which has hosted several basketball and 3×3 events in recent years. Using a busy commercial center as the venue should make the tournament accessible to families and people who may not normally attend an international sporting competition.

    Admission will be free throughout the tournament. Matches will also be available through the Aloud Sports platform for those unable to attend in person.

    Teams from across the Americas

    The men’s competition will include 24 national teams:

    United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras, Barbados, and Suriname.

    The women’s tournament will feature 21 teams:

    Canada, United States, Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Venezuela, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Paraguay, Cuba, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Belize, Saint Lucia, Honduras, and El Salvador.

    The United States has been the dominant country in the competition’s short history. Its men’s team has won four AmeriCup titles, while Puerto Rico has won one. In the women’s division, the United States has won three championships, and Canada has claimed two.

    That level of competition will make the tournament a serious challenge for the Salvadoran teams. At the same time, playing against stronger and more experienced opponents is one of the best ways for local athletes to improve.

    What makes 3×3 basketball different?

    For readers unfamiliar with the sport, 3×3 basketball is not simply a shortened version of the traditional five-player game.

    Each team has three players on the court and one substitute. Games are played on a half-court with one basket, and the pace is much faster than conventional basketball.

    A game lasts 10 minutes, unless one team reaches 21 points before time expires. Shots made from inside the arc count for one point, while shots from beyond it count for two.

    The shorter shot clock and almost continuous play create a fast, physical game in which decisions must be made quickly. The format is particularly well-suited to public spaces because it requires less space and allows spectators to remain close to the action.

    The sport made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games and has continued to grow internationally.

    More than a sporting event

    The arrival of 45 national teams will have an impact beyond the basketball court.

    Athletes, coaches, officials, relatives, and supporters will require hotels, restaurants, transportation, and other services during their stay. Some visitors will likely use the opportunity to explore beaches, volcanoes, historic communities, and other destinations around the country.

    Lya Salazar, events coordinator for the Salvadoran Tourism Corporation, said international competitions help position El Salvador as a destination capable of hosting major events while contributing to the country’s tourism goals.

    This is an increasingly important part of El Salvador’s international promotion. Sporting events bring people into the country for a specific reason, but their impressions are also shaped by what they experience away from the competition.

    For many athletes and visitors, the AmeriCup may be their first opportunity to see El Salvador for themselves.

    A special opportunity for Salvadoran athletes

    Competing in front of a home crowd adds another dimension for the Salvadoran national teams.

    Women’s national team member Elisa Domínguez described the emotion of hearing the national anthem while surrounded by family members and Salvadoran supporters. That home support can provide encouragement that athletes do not receive when competing abroad.

    Luis Escoto, a member of the men’s 3×3 team who represented El Salvador at the 2016 World Cup in Nantes, France, said the tournament offers the players an opportunity to demonstrate the level Salvadoran basketball has reached.

    El Salvador may be a small country, but events like this give its athletes the chance to compete on the same court as some of the strongest teams in the Americas.

    Building a longer international schedule

    The 2026 AmeriCup will not be an isolated event.

    El Salvador has also been selected to host the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup again in 2027. The country will then welcome the 19th edition of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, another important continental competition.

    Holding these tournaments in consecutive years suggests that international sports organizations have confidence in El Salvador’s ability to provide facilities, security, coordination, and public support.

    The record participation of 45 teams makes the 2026 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup an important moment for basketball in El Salvador. It is also another opportunity for the country to show international visitors what has changed and what it can offer.

    From October 28 through November 1, Plaza Merliot will become the center of 3×3 basketball in the Americas—and Salvadoran fans will be able to experience it without paying an entrance fee.

    Sources: Diario El Salvador, INDES, and FIBA.

    If you enjoy stories about El Salvador’s development, economy, tourism, culture, environment, and continuing transformation. Please consider liking, commenting, and sharing this article.