Opening Ceremony at Rommel Fernández
Panama officially opened the IV South American Youth Games on Saturday night with the lighting of the cauldron at Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez Stadium, launching the region’s top youth multisport event in this Olympic cycle.
The ceremony combined sport and entertainment, with Puerto Rican artist Farruko headlining an international lineup that also featured local acts Jonathan Chávez and Los Triunfadores. The opening was streamed worldwide on Panam Sports’ YouTube channel.
More than 2,000 young athletes
The competition brings together 2,000 athletes from 15 countries, with events scheduled from April 12 to 25 across different venues in Panama City. The program includes 23 sports, among them athletics, swimming, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, taekwondo, triathlon, tennis, table tennis, football, futsal, baseball, golf, surfing, fencing, weightlifting, archery, flag football, badminton, chess and 3×3 basketball.
The field includes the 10 South American nations, plus Panama as host and Aruba, Curaçao, Suriname and Guyana.
Panama’s role as host
Panama’s designation as host was formalized in February 2025 after a meeting between the national government and the South American Sports Organization, Odesur. That decision set off an accelerated schedule of renovations and investments to meet the event’s standards.
The South American torch reached Panama City on Thursday after crossing the country from Volcán, in Chiriquí province, to Yaviza, in Darién, linking communities along the route with the Games’ opening celebrations.
Local athletes and upgraded venues
Panama’s delegation includes 247 athletes and 81 coaches. The flag bearers are swimmer Raúl Antadillas and karate athlete Desirée Frías. Antadillas arrives with regional medals and experience, while Frías is ranked first in the continent and second in the world in her category.
The Games are also serving as a major infrastructure test. The Luis Tejada High Performance Center will be used for the first time in an international event after a total investment of $58 million. Of the Games budget, about $11 million went to additional work at the complex.
The upgrades include a warm-up pool, an electronic timing system, air conditioning in the aquatic area, new grandstands and a reconfiguration of sports spaces. The venue now includes basketball and a regulation futsal court measuring 40 by 20 meters, the first of its kind in the country, along with areas for combat sports.
Other sites were also improved. Emilio Royo Stadium, inside the Irving Saladino Sports City, received nearly $3 million in upgrades for flag football, including a robotized line-marking system. The Fred Maduro National Tennis Center in Llanos de Curundú was also renovated with a similar investment, featuring new seating and lighting that rose from under 300 lumens to around 1,200 lumens.
Economic and public impact
Total organization costs are estimated at $30 million, with about $17 million assigned to infrastructure and the rest covering logistics, equipment, backup power, temporary structures and security systems, including a monitoring center valued at about $200,000.
The expected economic impact is at least $75 million, driven by the arrival of more than 6,000 visitors, including athletes, officials and companions, along with related tourism activity.
Entry to all competitions is free, but spectators must register through the Panatickets digital platform, obtain a QR code and present it at the gates. Organizers have also stressed the use of public transport, with MiBus running special routes to venues such as Cinta Costera, Irving Saladino Sports City and ITSE. For the opening day, no parking will be available at Rommel Fernández Stadium.
Fans can also follow the competition through the “Panamá 2026” mobile app, which provides schedules, live results and sport-by-sport information. The Games are also seen as a rehearsal for a possible Pan American Junior Games bid in 2029.