What Happened
The IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026 move into a busy third day on Tuesday, April 14, with a full slate of combat sports and team events across Panama City and Playa Venao. More than 2,000 athletes from 15 countries are competing in the capital.
The day opens a new phase of the competition as boxing begins at the Tierra de Campeones Atheyna Bylon gym on the Cinta Costera. The program runs from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and includes at least nine scheduled bouts.
Panama will be represented in two featured matches. Scharmain Batista will face Brazil’s Sara Dos Santos in the 57-kilogram division at 4:00 p.m., followed by Héctor Gordón against Colombia’s Stiven Galvis in the 65-kilogram category at 5:00 p.m.
Team Sports Put Panama in the Spotlight
Panama’s youth futsal teams also return to action at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento. The women’s team meets Paraguay at 2:45 p.m., while the men’s team faces a difficult test against Argentina at 5:00 p.m.
In women’s football, Panama takes on Colombia at 3:00 p.m. in a key group-stage match. The team, coached by Spanish manager Gerard Aubí, arrives with momentum after opening the tournament with a 1-0 win over Colombia.
The football schedule begins earlier in the day with Colombia against Paraguay at 9:00 a.m., setting the pace for a decisive round of group matches.
Combat Sports Expand Through the Day
Judo begins at 10:00 a.m. at the combat center in the CAR, with medals on the line in the men’s -66 kg and women’s -52 kg categories. Later in the day, wrestling takes over at 2:00 p.m. with a long schedule that features several Panamanian athletes across multiple weight classes.
Among the notable wrestling matchups are Vianelys Soto against Peru’s Amy Molina in 49 kg, Aisha Cabrera versus Argentina’s Selena Cabral in 73 kg, and Aida Ledezma against Peru’s Margarita Quito in 43 kg before a later bout with Brazil’s Laura Viera.
Mia Arrocha also has a demanding sequence in 57 kg, beginning with Colombia’s Alejandra Serrano and continuing against Bolivia’s Noelia Mamani and Peru’s Clara Ramírez. Yumaira Russell will face Chile’s Fernanda Riffo in 65 kg, while Aisha Williams meets Colombia’s Geovanna Sevillano in 73 kg.
Surfing Action Moves to Playa Venao
Outside the capital, surfing continues at Playa Venao with Panamanian participation from Kely Gasparovic, Shakti Martínez, Víctor Camarena and Gabriel Cabrera. Their presence adds another local highlight to a day that spans several disciplines and venues.
Panama’s Medal Position
Panama enters the day in seventh place on the medal table with two bronze medals, earned in judo and wrestling on Monday. Venezuela leads the standings with three gold medals and six total, followed by Argentina with two golds.
With boxing, futsal, football, judo, wrestling and surfing all on the schedule, Tuesday offers one of the most important early tests for Panama’s young delegation at a tournament designed to showcase the region’s next generation of athletes.