The Panama 2026 South American Youth Games are also being presented as a platform to showcase the cultural and artistic identity of the host country. Beyond the competition itself, the organisers have wanted the experience of athletes, delegations and visitors to incorporate symbols, materials and references linked to the image of Panama, from the mascot to the objects used in medal ceremonies. The proposal forms part of an event that Panam Sports has presented under the motto “A otro nivel”.

In an exclusive interview with SportsIn, Raquel Pasos, director of services for the South American Youth Games, explained how that idea has been translated into different elements of the event. The organisers have wanted Panama to express itself through these Games in very concrete pieces, from the institutional image to details such as the ceramic tray on which the medals are carried before they are placed around the necks of the athletes who reach the podium.

Antón and Panamanian nature as a calling card

One of the clearest examples is Antón, the official mascot of the Games, a Panamanian golden frog that refers to one of the country’s most recognisable species. The Panamanian golden frog has also been presented by Panam Sports as a symbol of biodiversity, youth and South American unity, within a visual narrative that connects the event to the natural heritage of the host country.

Pasos explained that this identity has been incorporated into a wide range of elements used throughout the Games. “Panama is really present in different elements, for example in the pins we hand out with our golden frog, our Antón, the mascot of these Games. We also have different gifts, such as Panamanian chocolates with various images of the Games, both the Games logo and the butterflies represented within the logo itself, and on the box there is also a representation of Antón and different cultural elements of Panama. These are the kinds of elements that allow athletes to remember us for our essence, which is obviously part of Panamanian culture,” she explained.

Panamanian craftsmanship in medals, statuettes and keepsakes

That commitment to identity also reaches the objects that remain as tangible memories of Panama 2026. The mascot is not only available as a plush toy for visitors and local audiences, but is also given to medallists as a wooden statuette, a decision through which the organisers sought to distinguish the official keepsake of the event and link it directly to Panamanian craftsmanship.

“We wanted to take it to another level, as our motto says, by delivering something that was truly produced by Panamanian hands. That is why this cedar wood statuette was a very important element for us to have within the Games, both to differentiate ourselves and, above all, to create that memory of our culture, which is important for us to project at South American level and hopefully, at other times, at an even higher level,” Pasos said.

The production of these pieces was also part of a broader process of local craftsmanship. Ilsa Bernal, marketing manager of Artesanos de Panamá, explained that the statuette was carved by hand by an artisan from the province of Darién, together with his family and people close to him, as part of a production of 1,600 pieces. This was accompanied by a public call that, after four months of reviewing proposals and talent, led to the selection of more than 30 Panamanian artists to produce both these wooden statuettes and the ceramic tray used to carry the medals, as well as other versions of Antón intended exclusively for medal-winning athletes.

A country-wide event supported by culture, the airport and the South American Village

The cultural dimension of the Games is not limited to official objects. Pasos explained that different public institutions have become involved in the project to strengthen this presentation of the country from the moment delegations arrive. Among them is the Ministry of Culture, which has supported the organisers in welcome activities at the airport and in spaces such as the South American Village and the FanFest, within the logic of a “country-wide event” that seeks to extend Panamanian identity across the full Games experience. The wider structure of Panama 2026 includes a South American Village and an organisational model that Panam Sports has linked to the event’s legacy and international projection.

“This is a country-wide event, and for us it has been extremely important to bring in different government institutions that have supported us, such as the Ministry of Culture, which helps us every day with the welcome at the airport, with moments of cultural display inside the South American Village, right now in the FanFest, and this has happened at different moments throughout the Games and in fact even before the Games. We are very grateful for the support that the different government institutions have given us with this project,” Pasos concluded.