Asunción 2022 South American Games: Preview, sports, schedule and stars to watch 

Paraguay will host the 2022 edition of the South American Games that take place in Asunción between 1 and 15 October.

Many of the greatest Latin American sports stars will compete at the Games, including Olympic champions and rising stars of the region who are looking to shine on the international stage with less than two years to go until París 2024.

The quadrennial Games, which first took place in 1978, will see 15 countries, including 12 from South America and three from Central America, compete for honours in 53 different sports.

In the last edition in 2018, Colombia topped the medal table with 239 medals (94 gold, 74 silver and 71 bronze). Brazil took second place with Venezuela third.

This time around, a strong performance at the South American Games has an added bonus, as in many sports victory will secure spots at the 2023 Panamerican Games, which themselves offer quotas in at least 21 sports for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about the 2022 South American Games.

Nations competing in the South American Games

• Argentina

• Aruba

• Bolivia

• Brazil

• Chile

• Colombia

• Curacao

• Ecuador

• Guyana

• Panama

• Paraguay

• Peru

• Surinam

• Uruguay

• Venezuela

Olympic sports on the programme of Asunción 2022

Of the 53 sports on the programme of the South American Games Asunción 2022, 40 of them are also on the programme of Paris 2024, including: 

• Open water swimming

• Diving

• Swimming

• Artistic swimming

• Waterpolo

• Athletics 

• Badminton

• Basketball 

• 3x3 Basketball

• Handball 

• Boxing

• Slalom and sprint canoe 

• BMX Freestyle

• BMX Racing

• Mountain biking 

• Track cycling 

• Road cycling 

• Equestrian 

• Fencing 

• Football 

• Artistic gymnastics 

• Rhythmic gymnastics 

• Gimnasia en trampolín

• Golf

• Hockey

• Judo

• Weightlifting 

• Wrestling 

• Rowing 

• Rugby

• Skateboarding

• Taekwondo

• Tennis

• Table tennis 

• Archery

• Shooting 

• Triathlon 

• Sailing 

• Volleyball 

• Beach volleyball

Stars and nations to watch at Asunción 2022

Colombia will again be one of the main nations to watch at the 2022 South American Games, and with the stars they are bringing to this edition of the Games, they once again have a strong chance to finish top of the medal table. Double Olympic champion  Mariana Pajón is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of the Colombian delegation and will be hoping to win gold in the BMX racing competition. 

Other athletes to look out for from Colombia include Diego Arboleda in BMX racing, who is currently second in the world ranking, the twins Lizsurley and Queensaray Villegas in BMX freestyle and Ingrit Valencia, bronze medallist in boxing at Rio 2016. 

Also keep a close eye on Ecuador, who can count on the Olympic weightlifting champion Neisi Dajomes. But that won’t be the only sport where Ecuador will be hoping to win medals, as Julio Castillo (boxing); Glenda Morejón and Daniel Pintado (race walk) and Jonathan Caicedo and Miryam Núñez (road cycling) will also be among the favourites at the Games. 

Brazil have eight Olympic medallists in their ranks (three of them Olympic champions), including Ana Marcela Cunha (Olympic gold in the women’s 10km marathon swimming),  Isaquias Queiroz and Erlon Souza (Olympic canoe sprint champions), Arthur Zanetti, the Olympic rings gold medallist, and Arthur Nory (artistic gymnastics), Abner  Teixeira (boxing), Bárbara Seixas (beach volleyball) and Felipe Wu (shooting).

They can also count on Leticia Oro Melo, who won long jump bronze at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, as well as the country's rising skateboarding star Gabriela Mazetto.

Angelo Caro, who came fifth at Tokyo 2020, is another skater to watch at Asunción 2022. The Peruvian will also be his nation’s flagbearer during the Opening Ceremony, alongside karate star Alexandra Grande. Another one to watch from Peru is rower Álvaro Torres who became the first-ever Peruvian to compete in an Olympic rowing competition at Tokyo 2020. 

Argentina will be among the favourites in the team sports events, including the hockey, rugby and handball competitions. They will have one of the largest delegations in Paraguay, with over 600 athletes among their ranks. 

They will also be hoping to make the podium when BMX freestyler José Torres Gil and skateboarder Mauro Iglesias compete.

While Venezuela will bring over 400 athletes to the Games, they will not be able to count on one of their biggest stars, with London 2012 gold medallist Rubén Limardo missing out through injury. Their main attraction will be Daniel Dhers who won the silver medal in BMX freestyle at Tokyo 2020. 

Other Venezuelans who will be aiming for gold including swimmer Alberto Mestre and judo stars Anriquelis Barrios and **Elvismar Rodríguez. **

Chile head to Asunción 2022 with their largest team in South American Games history, but one thing hasn’t changed: Kristel Köbrich will be present at the Games. The swimmer has competed in five Olympic Games and will be competing in her sixth South American Games. In total, Köbrich has won 15 medals at the South American Games, including seven golds, six silvers and two bronzes. 

Other athletes representing Chile in Paraguay include two-time beach volleyball Olympians, Marco and Esteban Grimalt. 

As hosts of the Games, Paraguay will be aiming to shine on home soil. One of their finest athletes is Olympic marathon runner Derlys Ayala, who is among the 600 Paraguayan athletes who will be present at one of the greatest sporting showcases in their nation's history.

Schedule for the South American Games 

• Athletics – 12 to 15 October

• Badminton – 2 to 7 October 

• Basketball – 5 to 15 October

• 3x3 Basketball – 2 to 3 October 

• Bocce – 12 to 14 October

• Bowling – 9 to 12 October

• Boxing – 8 to 13 October

• Canoe slalom – 12 to 14 October 

• Canoe sprint – 11 to 13 October 

• BMX freestyle – 7 to 8 October

• BMX racing – 13 to 14 October 

• Road cycling – 3 to 5 October 

• Track cycling – 12 to 15 October 

• Mountain bike – 2 October 

• Fencing – 2 to 7 October 

• Water skiing – 7 to 9 October

• Bodybuilding – 2 October

• Football – 4 to 12 October

• Beach football – 2 to 6 October

• Futsal – 10 to 14 October

• Artistic gymnastics – 4 to 8 October

• Rhythmic gymnastics – 11 to 13 October

• Trampoline gymnastics – 12 to 13 October

• Golf – 5 to 8 October

• Handball – 6 to 15 October

• Equestrian – 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11 October

• Hockey – 3 to 12 October

• Judo – 11 to 13 October

• Karate – 3 to 5 October

• Weightlifting – 2 to 5 October

• Wrestling – 12 to 14 October

• Marathon swimming - 11 October

• Artistic swimming – 7 to 9 October

• Swimming – 2 to 5 October

• Paddle – 6 to 9 October

• Figure skating – 2 to 3 October

• Inline skating – 2 to 4 October

• Waterpolo – 11 to 15 October

• Rowing – 2 to 5 October

• Rugby - 7 to 9 October

• Skateboarding – 1 to 2 October

• Squash – 10 to 15 October

• Diving - 2 to 5 October

• Taekwondo – 5 to 7 October

• Tennis – 10 to 15 October

• Table tennis – 9 to 14 October

• Archery – 2 to 5 October

• Shooting – 9 to 14 October

• Triathlon – 2 to 4 October

• Sailing – 2 to 6 October

• Volleyball – 4 to 14 October

• Beach volleyball – 11 to 15 October

• Chess – 8 to 9 October