Jun 9, 2026
It will feature more than 30 sports and between 10,000 and 15,000 participants. “It will be the event of the year in the city,”
Source: La Capital newspaper, Mar del Plata (text by Marcelo Solari)
The competition, set to take place toward the end of the year in Mar del Plata, was officially launched this Monday at the Emturyc multipurpose hall. It will feature more than 30 sports and between 10,000 and 15,000 participants. “It will be the event of the year in the city,” emphasized representatives from the organizing committee and the municipal government.
Members of the organizing committee, municipal officials, and representatives from some of the competing sports during the launch at Emturyc.
With municipal officials, members of the organizing committee, representatives from various sports, and journalists in attendance, the official launch of the International Maxi Games took place at noon on Monday in the Emturyc multipurpose hall.
According to statements made during the press conference, this is the most important event of the year for Mar del Plata and will generate exceptional activity in the areas of sports, tourism, and social life. The event is scheduled to take place from November 24 to December 4, 2026.
This city has not had the privilege or honor of hosting an edition of the Olympic Games. But it has experienced what it means to host the Pan American Games, the continental event that marked a turning point in the history—not just the sporting history—of Mar del Plata.
Well, based on that benchmark, the International Maxi Games are expected to generate, in terms of the number of participants and their accompanying guests, an economic impact equivalent to that of three Pan American Games.
After the formal welcome, the president of the organizing committee, Agustín Rodríguez Lamas, highlighted what the Maxi Games will mean for Mar del Plata “in terms of sports, social, and tourism activities, bringing in millions in revenue for the city, as we estimate that between 10,000 and 15,000 people will arrive.”
Rodríguez Lamas was supported by the organization’s large and efficient staff (an event of this nature requires a great deal of work and planning across various areas) and was accompanied by Emturyc President Diego Juárez; Emder President Sebastián D’Andrea; and the general director of the tourism board, Valeria Méndez.
The International Maxi Games have been declared of tourist and sporting interest at the municipal level, and, as explained during the press conference, the municipal government has collaborated closely with the organizers and has shown great willingness to move forward on various aspects related to logistics, sports venues, permits, and coordination with other agencies.
“We’re very pleased with how everything is going in Mar del Plata. The support from the authorities has been tremendous, and that’s extremely important because it’s difficult to organize a sporting event for a single discipline; so when you add the complexity of having more than 30 disciplines—each with its own categories—it becomes a very complex undertaking. But at the same time, we’re very enthusiastic and satisfied with the work being done by the leaders of each sport,” said Rodríguez Lamas.
He also highlighted the added value that will come from “the enormous number of mentions, posts, photos, videos, and clicks related to Mar del Plata that will circulate via social media around the world. That exposure has incalculable benefits.”
The IMG’s initiative aims to convey a philosophy that fosters the desire and need to continue playing sports regardless of age. In that regard, he explained: “Studies show that there’s a drop-off among people aged 30 to 35, when they stop playing their sport or engaging in physical activity. Our goal is to ensure that these people don’t drift away from the courts, but rather understand that when their active professional or federated competition ends, there is a new phase that is experienced in a spectacular way through Maxi.”
Finally, he noted that Mar del Plata was chosen for “two or three reasons. For one thing, we organized the Maxi Basketball World Cup in 2023. It was a resounding success, largely due to the significant support we received from the municipal government. It’s almost impossible to organize an event of this magnitude without government support. Everyone who came to participate was very happy with the city, even though it was in August. Now, in November/December, the time of year will be much better. And that reinforces the third reason: Mar del Plata is the most beautiful city in the world,” he concluded.
