Many world-class and Olympic winning senior athletes competed in the championships in their teenage years.
No competition was held in 2008, due to a clash with the senior 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships, which had been postponed from the previous year.
At the 2010 edition, a total of 532 athletes from 27 nations took part in the championships' events.
[2] The 2016 edition did not proceed as planned following the announcement of a change towards a wider competition by NACAC regional president Victor Lopez.
The new competition, due in 2018, would incorporate Canada and the United States.