Athletics competitions have been held at the quadrennial Central American Games and open to member federations of the Central American Sports Organization (Spanish: Organización Deportiva Centroamericana or ORDECA) since the inaugural edition of 1973 in Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala. The 1981 games were cancelled due to political instability. In 2006 the athletics events were not contested by Costa Rica, El Salvador or Panama.[1] In 2010, Guatemala did not participate.