From July 15th to August 11th, incarcerated individuals in Mérida will participate in their own version of the Olympics.
This multidisciplinary sporting event replicates the spirit of the Paris 2024 Olympics and remains a unique activity within the national prison system.
Over 500 inmates, both men and women, currently housed at the Mérida penitentiary, will compete in 11 different sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, 3×3 basketball, tennis, table tennis, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, soccer, weightlifting, and one of the newly included sports in the Paris 2024 Olympics: breaking, also known as breakdance.
In the athletics category, there will be events such as the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1,500m races, as well as the 110m hurdles, 4x100m relay, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw, and a 5km walk. This marks the fifth occasion when the Mérida penitentiary hosts its own simultaneous Olympic Games.
