After the good performance hosting the 2022 South American Games, Asunción will host the 2025 Junior Pan American Games

Exactly one year ago in Cali, Colombia, the first Junior Pan American Games in history were held, a very ambitious commitment of the renewed Panam Sports chaired by Neven Ilic since 2017. Those Continental Games for athletes under 21 represented a great success in the management of the Chilean, who has already sealed the continuity of this event with the confirmation of Asunción as the venue for the 2025 edition.

The election was held virtually within the framework of the Extraordinary General Assembly with the highest authorities of Panam Sports (former Pan-American Sports Organization) as hosts from the offices in Miami. The two candidate cities, Asunción and Santa Marta, exposed their geographical and logistical strengths to convince voters. Forty national Olympic committees participated (not all 41, since the Guatemalan Olympic Committee is suspended by the IOC and Panam Sports and cannot participate in official activities) and a total of 48 votes were cast, since the cities that have organized Pan American Games are entitled to two votes. The final result was 32 votes in favor of Asunción against 16 for Santa Marta.

I want to thank my fellow Olympic Committee Chairs for trusting Asunción and for trusting Paraguay. Thank my super team that works side by side with me and that made some great South American Games. We are all committed to having great Games in 2025. Paraguay is really not going to disappoint them,” said the President of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Camilo Perez.

Asunción surprised everyone with the successful organization of the South American Games last October. According to the Minister of Sports, Diego Galeano Harrison, in a television interview, the state investment to make the Odesur possible was 78 million dollars and revenues for all sectors of the Paraguayan economy exceeded 300 million dollars. One example was the upturn it meant for the hotel industry, which was still hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which exceeded $7 million in profits, according to the Association of Hotel Industry of Paraguay (AIHPY).

In addition to these encouraging numbers, there was great acceptance in public opinion and the active participation of Paraguayan citizens filling the places of competition. “We expected to receive 30,000 foreigners and finally there were 71,000. I didn’t expect this impact or so much public attendance during the 15 days of the Games,” acknowledged former tennis player and current minister, Diego Galeano Harrison. This context is indeed what drove Asunción’s candidacy with great force, which before October did not have such a positive experience in its curriculum.

The Junior Pan American Games involve 4500 athletes, 1500 technicians and judges, 4500 volunteers, 41 countries, 29 disciplines and 10 days of competition. The first edition, just a year ago in Cali, received a great response from the Pan-American sports community and meant re-channeling the objectives of a generation that had canceled the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, originally scheduled for this year and -for now- rescheduled for 2026. And together with the Rosario South American Youth Games, held last May, the creation of the Junior Pan American Games reconfigured the Olympic cycle for the youngest high-performance athletes, who can live an unforgettable competitive and human experience, even if they do not achieve the excellence necessary to qualify for an Olympic Game.

After the election, Neven Ilic highlighted the work behind both candidates: “Both cities made very good presentations and had chances of winning. This time our countries chose Asunción. I also congratulate Santa Marta for all the efforts made. This time, there were no winners, but in the future we know that there will be more opportunities. They are a tremendous city that has proven to be a great organizer of multi-sport events.”