Team Paraguay ready for the Santa Fe 2026 Odesur Games

Team Paraguay is heading to the Santa Fe 2026 South American Games with 341 athletes and a target of about 36 medals.

The delegation was officially presented at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, where speed skater Julio César Mirena and golfer Sofía García were named flag-bearers. The Games will take place in Argentina’s Santa Fe province from September 12 to 26.

Paraguayan Olympic Committee president Camilo Pérez said the team would not be able to surpass the 48 medals won at the Asunción 2022 Games. Several disciplines contested four years ago will not be included in this edition, he said. Even so, the delegation arrives with athletes viewed as having realistic chances of reaching the podium in several sports.

The presentation also addressed financial incentives. Medal winners will receive financial recognition, but the rewards will not match those established for the Asunción Games.

The Santa Fe event is expected to bring together more than 4,000 athletes from 15 South American countries. The South American Games are held every four years under the organisation of Odesur. For Paraguay, the competition offers another test of its progress against the region’s leading athletes and a chance to build on the country’s strong performance as host in 2022.