Colombia Arrives to Argentina for South American Games 2026

Colombia arrives at the XIII South American Games in Argentina with 415 athletes and Angel Barajas as flag-bearer, aiming to build on its recent runner-up finish. The country was second in Asuncion 2022 with 255 medals and will compete in 32 sports across Santa Fe, Rosario and Rafaela.

The opening ceremony will take place at the National Flag Monument in Rosario on Sept. 12, while sporting competition will begin the following day and continue through Sept. 26. More than 4,000 athletes from 15 countries will compete in 43 sports and 60 disciplines, according to the organizers.

For Colombia, the Games follow another second-place finish in Santo Domingo less than two months ago. That result, combined with the country’s performance in Asunción, gives the delegation a clear recent benchmark for another major event in the Olympic cycle.

Colombia carries the Asunción 2022 benchmark into Santa Fe

Colombia finished second at the previous South American Games in Asuncion, behind Brazil. Its 255 medals comprised 79 gold, 78 silver and 98 bronze, while Brazil won 319 medals, including 133 gold. Argentina finished third with 197 medals.

Colombia built on its recent success with another decisive result in Asuncion. The country won the Games in Medellin in 2010 and Cochabamba in 2018 and finished second in Santiago in 2014 before returning to the runner-up position in Paraguay. The Colombian Olympic Committee noted that Asunción marked the fourth consecutive edition in which Colombia finished among the top two delegations.

The immediate comparison is also with Santo Domingo, where Colombia again finished second in the Central American and Caribbean Games. The delegation won 266 medals, while Barajas was one of its two leading individual performers, taking four gold medals and one silver in artistic gymnastics.

That performance gives the gymnast a prominent role as Colombia begins the next competition. Barajas, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist on the horizontal bar, won the individual all-around, parallel bars and horizontal bar in Santo Domingo and also contributed to Colombia’s team gold.

The Ministry of Sport has not announced a specific numerical medal target for Santa Fe 2026 in its delegation announcement. Colombia’s recent results, however, make another top-two finish the relevant benchmark for the team.

More than a third of the team has passed through Ministry programs

The Ministry of Sport directly supported 161 members of Colombia’s 415-athlete delegation heading to Argentina. The programs include Talent Schools, the Advanced Development Project, Intercollegiate Games, Athlete Excellence and the National Youth Games. Together, those athletes represent 37.7% of the delegation.

The figure connects the Santa Fe delegation with programs that cover different stages of Colombia’s sports-development system. The Ministry is supporting the team in 32 sports and has allocated 5.31 billion Colombian pesos to its participation, according to its Sept. 9 announcement.

The delegation received the national flag in Bogota on Sept. 9. Barajas and golfer Maria Jose Bohorquez Fonseca accepted it on behalf of the athletes at a ceremony attended by Sports Minister Juliana Gutierrez Zuluaga and Colombian Olympic Committee president Ciro Solano Hurtado.

Gutierrez highlighted the preparation behind the delegation and recognized coaches, multidisciplinary teams, federations, leagues, territorial authorities, sports officials and families. “You represent Colombia. You represent a country with talent,” she told the athletes, adding that the country has shown it can compete among the best in the region.

The delegation reflects Colombia’s growing depth beyond its primary sports strengths. The team will compete in 32 sports, while sport climbing will make its first appearance for Colombia at a multisport continental event, according to the Ministry.

Three cities divide the competition

Santa Fe 2026 differs from previous editions in the way it distributes the competition. Organizers assigned events across Santa Fe, Rosario, and Rafaela based on existing facility infrastructure. The official program also includes subsites in Paraná, Mar del Plata, and Vicente López for softball, surfing, and bowling.

Santa Fe will host athletics at the Pedro Candioti High Performance Sports Center, as well as field hockey, climbing and several aquatic and rowing events. Rosario will stage swimming and diving, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, judo, karate, weightlifting, football and other sports. Rafaela will concentrate heavily on cycling, including BMX freestyle, BMX racing, mountain bike and track cycling, while also hosting boxing, padel and skateboarding.

The arrangement gives the Games a broader geographic footprint than a single-city event. It also places newly built or renovated facilities directly into the competition program. In Rosario, the new Invencible Arena will host gymnastics, while Santa Fe has prepared new or renovated facilities including its athletics infrastructure and hockey complex. Rafaela will use its new velodrome and BMX facilities for cycling events.

The event serves as a direct stepping stone to the next Olympic cycle. Several disciplines will offer qualification places for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, giving athletes another competitive objective beyond the medal table.

A new chapter in a competition Colombia has shaped

The South American Games date to 1978, when La Paz, Bolivia, hosted the first edition with eight participating countries. After Rosario hosted the second competition in 1982, the Games moved across South America to cities such as Santiago, Lima, Valencia, and Asuncion.

Colombia’s recent history is among the strongest in that sequence. Its victories in Medellin and Cochabamba and runner-up finishes in Santiago and Asunción established the country as one of Brazil’s principal challengers in the Games. The 2022 result remains the most immediate reference point: Brazil won 319 medals and Colombia 255.

Santa Fe 2026 will put that position under pressure again. The competition begins Sept. 13 after the opening ceremony in Rosario, with Colombia’s 415 athletes spread across 32 sports and three principal host cities. Barajas will carry the flag into the Games following a standout performance in Colombia’s regional campaign. The final medal table will test whether the country can retain its lead in South American sport.