Peru’s good results in recent South American Games 2026 (Odesur) in Santa Fe, Argentina, cannot be understood without the previous years of preparation. Not only established athletes, such as Stefano Peschiera, María Belén Bazo, Natalia Cuglievan, Diego Elías or Nicolás Pacheco, rose to the podium, but also several others who opened their international experience with important triumphs after intense dedication. In disciplines such as women’s tennis, Peru made history by winning its first gold medal thanks to Dana Guzmán.
The volume of medals was the most significant. There were 99 medals and the third best Peruvian performance since the Odesur Games began in 1978. Peru was in sixth place in the general medal table, with 28 gold medals. In Asunción 2022, Team Perú won 74 medals in total.
These progressive and widespread achievements show that it is not just about individual talent and effort, but also an increasingly successful strategy of the national sports federations and the national sports system. The Peruvian Sports Institute (IPD) accompanied this process through the Athlete Support Program (PAD), the Lima 2027 Program and the Olympic Cycle Program. If senior soccer has not brought joy for a long time, in other disciplines – with hundreds of successful athletes wearing the colors of Peru – you can find reasons for joy and national pride. Furthermore, with many young people reaching the top of the regional podiums, the future for the coming years looks promising as long as it is accompanied by constant work.
For now, the national athletes, their coaches and all those who made the result possible in Argentina have a well-deserved rest and space to celebrate their successes. Moving forward, Odesur can be considered preparation for a greater challenge that will come next year with the Lima 2027 Pan American Games, a tournament that will bring together the best athletes on the continent. Being the host country, expectations are high. After all, Odesur’s best performance was precisely in Lima in 1990, with 185 medals. And then will come the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Sports successes are evidence that Peru can achieve first places if it sets its mind to it with discipline, effort and individual talent. And they are also an inspiration for the rest of the compatriots in their respective spaces.
