What Happened
Panama is set to open the South American Youth Games with a ceremony at 6:00 p.m. at Estadio Rommel Fernández, launching 14 days of competition from April 12 through April 25. The event will bring together young athletes across multiple disciplines and venues in the country.
The opening ceremony will feature Farruko, alongside Panamanian performers Jonathan Chávez and Los Triunfadores, and will be available worldwide on the Panam Sports YouTube channel. Fans planning to attend should note that parking will not be available at the stadium.
Main Venues and Sports
Competition will be spread across several sites in Panama City and other parts of the country. Ciudad Deportiva Irving Saladino will serve as a central hub, hosting multiple disciplines as well as the fan fest.
Other venues include Estadio Rommel Fernández for football and the opening ceremony, Estadio Emilio Royo for flag football, the Campo de Tiro con Arco for archery, the Centro de Combate for judo and taekwondo, and the Center for High Performance for swimming, athletics, badminton, table tennis and football.
Additional events will take place at Centro de Convenciones Figali for artistic gymnastics, Centro Tierra de Campeones Atheyna Bylon for boxing, Cinta Costera for road cycling, Mirador del Pacífico for 3×3 basketball, Calzada de Amador for triathlon, Club de Golf de Panamá for golf, Centro de Tenis Fred Maduro for tennis, Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena for baseball, and Playa Venao in Pedasí for surfing.
Tickets and Transportation
Admission to the Games is free, with tickets available through Panatickets. That makes the event more accessible for families, students and sports fans who want to follow Panama’s young athletes in person.
MiBus has also activated special routes to key venues such as Cinta Costera and Ciudad Deportiva Irving Saladino. Service begins at 3:00 a.m. and, in some cases, continues until the following dawn. Standard fares remain $0.25 on trunk routes and $0.75 on corridor routes.
How to Follow the Competition
For fans who cannot attend, the Games will be tracked through the mobile app “Panamá 2026,” which includes the schedule, live results and discipline-by-discipline updates. Coverage will also be available through Panam Sports on YouTube.
The Games offer Panama a chance to showcase its sports infrastructure while giving home crowds a close look at the region’s next generation of athletes. With free admission and citywide transport support, organizers are positioning the event as a broad public celebration of youth sport.
For spectators, the practical details matter: arrive early, use the designated transport options and plan around the no-parking rule at Estadio Rommel Fernández. For athletes, the week ahead represents a major international stage in front of Panamanian crowds.