The organizing committee of the 2026 South American Youth Games, the Panamanian Olympic Committee, and Pandeportes presented the torch relay route for the sporting event to be held in Panama from April 12 to 25. At a press conference, it was announced that the relay will begin this Friday, March 27, in the province of Chiriquí, where a provincial pebetero will be lit, while on Saturday, March 28, the event will move to Bocas del Toro, with the final act at the Calvin Byron Stadium. The route also includes the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca; the province of Veraguas; Las Tablas, Pedasí, and Playa Venao (Los Santos); the province of Herrera; Penonomé and the Anton Valley (Coclé province); La Chorrera (West Panama); Portobelo and Fort San Lorenzo (Colón); Guna Yala Comarca; Metetí (Darién); and the city of Panama. The event featured Miguel Ordoñez, Director General of Pandeportes; Damaris Young, President of the Olympic Committee; Anamae Orillac, Director General of the Games; and Hector Bultrón, Coordinator of Culture and Experiences. They highlighted that the torch relay represents much more than a symbolic transfer: it is an invitation to believe in the potential of South American youth and in sport as a motor for social transformation. The IV South American Youth Games will bring together young athletes from different countries in the region, consolidating as a space for encounter, training, and projection of youth talent, as well as a platform to strengthen ties of integration among the nations of South America.
