| Host city | Guatemala City |
|---|---|
| Country |  Guatemala |
| Nations | 6 |
| Athletes | 966 |
| Events | 16 sports |
| Opening | November 24, 1973 |
| Closing | December 2, 1973 |
| Opened by | Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre |
| Torch lighter | Mateo Flores |
| Main venue | Estadio Nacional Mateo Flores |
The I Central American Games (Spanish: I Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos) was a multi-sport event that took place between 24 November - 2 December 1973.
The games were officially opened by Guatemalan Education Minister Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre.[1] Long-distance runner Mateo Flores was honoured to light the torch in the stadium bearing his name. The flame was ignited before in Q'umarkaj, one of the ancient cultural Mayan centers located in El Quiché, Guatemala.[2]
María del Milagro París from Costa Rica won 13 gold and 1 silver medals in the swimming contests, and was chosen as the best athlete of the games by the journalists.[3]
- ^ Historia de los Juegos Centroamericanos (in Spanish), archived from the original on 2013-04-11, retrieved March 4, 2013
- ^ Comenzaron los juegos ayer en Guatemala (in Spanish), La Nación, Costa Rica, November 25, 1973, p. 35 (original page no.: 62A), retrieved August 27, 2012
- ^ Pandolfe, Gaetano (December 2, 1973), Costa Rica clasificó en tercer lugar en Guatemala - María del Milagro París declarada por los cronistas la mejor atleta (in Spanish), La Nación, Costa Rica, p. 58 (original page no.: 78A), retrieved August 30, 2012