Panam Sports has received applications from Rosario in Argentina, Guatemala City in Guatemala and Panama City in Panama to stage the 2029 Junior Pan American Games, the organization announced last week. All three bids meet the necessary criteria to host the major quadrennial event, Panam Sports President and IOC Member Neven Ilic Alvarez said.
Applications were due March 31.
The Games are open to athletes across the Americas typically from the ages of 17 to 22. After the debut of the Junior edition in Colombia at Cali-Valle 2021, the most recent Games were held in Asunción in 2025 where 3,975 athletes from all 41 eligible nations competed in 336 events in 28 sports. After its success, the Paraguayan capital was chosen to host the marquee Pan Am Games in 2031.
The three cities have until June 15 to deliver further requirements – including detailed plans and government guarantees – before Panam Sports is expected to name final candidates on June 19. The host city will be elected at the organization’s General Assembly to be held in Lima in August where the Peruvian capital is in the midst of preparing to host the 2027 Panam Games.
Rosario, with a population of 1.65 million, is set to host the 2026 South American Games in September building upon the legacy left from hosting the South American Youth Games in 2022. Rosario tendered a bid to host the 2019 Panam Games but was defeated in the domestic race.
Santa Fe Governor Maximiliano Pullaro said on social media platform X “This bid, combined with the South American Games, would represent a leap in the Olympic cycle that was unthinkable just two years ago.”
Guatemala City in Central America has a population exceeding 3 million inhabitants and became a familiar location to international sports entities when it hosted the 2007 International Olympic Committee’s Session.
Panama City geographically connects the Americas with a metro population of over one million who enjoy baseball as the national sport with infrastructure to support it. The city is set to host the 2026 South American Youth Games starting April 12, marking the beginning of a sports legacy in the nation.
