Baja California Sur inaugurated the state round of Mexico’s National School Sports Games for Basic Education at the El Piojillo Sports Complex in La Paz. The state government has committed more than 20 million pesos (roughly $1 million USD) to support the competition for the 2025-2026 school year.
More than 20,000 primary and secondary school students across BCS participated in earlier municipal and regional rounds. From that pool, 400 athletes have advanced to the state stage, where they will compete in nine disciplines across men’s, women’s, and mixed categories.
Top Athletes Head to Guadalajara for National Stage
The BCS delegation will travel to Guadalajara during the last week of May and the first week of June for the national round. Travel costs have historically been a challenge for BCS athletes. The state’s geographic isolation at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula drives up transportation expenses compared to mainland states.
Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío’s administration has made youth sports a priority in recent years. In 2023, the state sports budget rose 20% to 135 million pesos. That figure has continued to climb, with the Sudcaliforniano Sports Institute (INSUDE) coordinating new programs and facilities across BCS’s five municipalities.
Broader Sports Investment Across BCS
The 20 million peso commitment to school games is part of a wider push. In April, the state government and the federal Secretariat of Agrarian, Land, and Urban Development (SEDATU) agreed on 38 sports infrastructure projects spread across all five BCS municipalities ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A separate rehabilitation of the multi-use gymnasium in La Paz carries a 90 million peso price tag.
Los Cabos has emerged as the state leader in sports facility construction, with more than 217 million pesos invested through the federal Social Infrastructure Fund (FAIS) for parks and sports complexes. INSUDE is also building or rehabilitating 24 soccer fields statewide through the federal “Mundial Social” program, funded with an initial 2 million pesos.
The school games program covers elementary and secondary students and is designed to promote physical activity alongside academics. Details were reported by the Baja California Sur state government (bcs.gob.mx).