The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Friday elected Punta Cana in Dominican Republic to host its all-members Session in 2027 marking the event’s first return to The Caribbean since San Juan, Puerto Rico staged in 1989.
IOC members conducted the vote during the 144th Session in Costa Navarino, Greece and overwhelmingly approved the proposal 93-2.
The IOC’s Executive Board singled out Punta Cana’s bid in December after the evaluation commission led by member Ser Miang Ng recommended the offer from among five applicant national Olympic committees including Czechia, Jordan, Montenegro and Saudi Arabia. The proposals were studied starting from last April and the commission narrowed the list by visiting Punta Cana last October 7-8 and Prague from October 12-14.
Commission Chair Ng said “The IOC Session will take place in the largest convention centre in the country. The local authorities are showing great interest in the IOC Session and are ready to help. Hosting the IOC Session in the Caribbean after 38 years would also highlight the universality and global reach of the Olympic Movement.”
Organizers propose staging the event in either April or May in 2027 at the Barcelo Bavaro Grand Convention Centre with accommodations at Barcelo Bavaro Grand Resort and Lopesan Costa Bavaro Hotel.
“On behalf of our entire country, it is an honour for us to have the opportunity to host the IOC Session in 2027 in Punta Cana – an event of great importance for the future of the Olympic Movement and the global development of sport,” Dominican Republic president Luis Abinader told IOC members in a video presented ahead of the vote.
Dominican Republic has participated in all Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964 and has earned four gold medals across athletics and boxing among 15 total medals. Most recently Marileidy Paulino was Olympic champion in Women’s 400m at Paris 2024.
The Session is a unique opportunity for the host to showcase its sport and culture to influential IOC members, sports industry leaders and journalists around the world. In the past, high profile host city bid votes would be staged at the meeting, guaranteeing that a spotlight would shine on the proceedings. But recent changes to the Olympic bid process have eliminated the fixed bidding schedule and no such vote is currently planned for 2027.
The next IOC Session is scheduled to take place in Milan, Italy next February ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
