Gimnasio 7 de Diciembre Alfonso Gordillo

The facility was opened in 1973 as a gymnasium, but the name now carries the weight of Carlos Alfonso Gordillo, a man who shaped the sport in the country for decades.

Inside, the light is artificial, casting a flat glow over the players that feels more like an arena than a stadium. There are locker rooms for the athletes, but the atmosphere is quiet until the teams arrive. The venue hosts NORCECA tournaments and Pan American Cup competitions, events that bring a different energy to the city. The players stretch their backs before the warm-up, knowing that the rubber surface will demand quick changes of direction. The clean-sheet run came to an end in practice, as the coaches drilled defensive shapes. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the discipline remains. The facility is functional, stripped of ceremony, and focused entirely on the movement of the ball.