The South American nation of Venezuela will be one of the participating delegations in the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026, which will take place from April 12 to 25, 2026, in Panama City, Panama.
The Venezuelan delegation will consist of 179 athletes (77 men and 102 women) competing across 21 official sports, plus chess as an invited discipline. In total, they will have the opportunity to compete for 167 medals out of the 210 up for grabs.
Featured Athletes
- Ricardo Monte de Oca (Athletics): A standout in pole vault, he recently improved his personal best to 5.68m, making him a top contender in track and field.
- Lidysmar Aparicio (Weightlifting): A world-class competitor who was previously the U-17 World Champion in the 81 kg division. At just 15 years old, she achieved impressive marks in the snatch and clean & jerk, earning gold and silver medals.
- Women’s Flag Football Team (Team Sports): Making a historic debut in the U-17 category, they will face off against teams from Panama, Colombia, and Paraguay. This is a milestone for Venezuela, a country with over two decades of history in women’s flag football. Coaches have highlighted players Carlota Rodríguez and Arantxa Sánchez as the key figures to watch during this debut.
Historical Medal Count
Venezuela’s performance in previous editions of the South American Youth Games is as follows:
| Edition | Host City | Medals (Gold-Silver-Bronze) | Total |
| I (2013) | Lima, Peru | 18 – 29 – 20 | 67 |
| II (2017) | Santiago, Chile | 15 – 28 – 31 | 74 |
| III (2022) | Rosario, Argentina | 26 – 19 – 34 | 79 |
