ASU2025 – NORCECA

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 6, 2025 – In the presence of the President of the Republic of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, Panam Sports President Neven Ilic, Paraguayan Olympic Committee President Camilo Pérez, and other distinguished officials, the traditional lighting ceremony of the Pan American Flame and the start of the Torch Relay for the ASU 2025 Junior Pan American Games took place.

Starting today, the Pan American Flame will travel through Paraguay’s main cities, culminating its journey on August 9 at the ASU 2025 Opening Ceremony.

The beautiful, historic, and touristic Jesuit Mission of Jesús de Tavarangue in Paraguay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provided the perfect setting for the significant and traditional ceremony that marks the beginning of the II ASU 2025 Junior Pan American Games.

Set against the natural backdrop of the Jesuit Ruins, the event brought together the highest-ranking government and sports authorities from Paraguay and Panam Sports. After the flag procession and national anthems, the attending officials delivered speeches emphasizing the importance of the ceremony and the significance of hosting the most impactful sporting event in Paraguay’s 214-year history.

“This is a very traditional ceremony in our organization. For the senior Pan American Games, the flame is always lit in Teotihuacan, Mexico. For the first Junior Pan American Games, the lighting took place at Cerro Cristo Rey in Cali. Today, we are in a magical place, full of history and of great importance to Paraguay. Here, the new flame is born and will travel to various corners of this beautiful country until it reaches the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony. We are happy and excited, the most important youth sporting celebration in the continent is almost here,” said Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.

“From here, a journey begins, not just a ceremonial journey, but a true, tangible process of national transformation. ASU 2025 is not an isolated project; it’s part of a broader effort involving infrastructure investment, tourism promotion, job creation, talent development, and, of course, Paraguay’s international projection,” said Paraguayan President Santiago Peña.

After the speeches, Guaraní indigenous representatives entered the scene. To the rhythm of music and ancestral dances, they lit the new flame and the Pan American torch, officially starting the traditional relay.

The first to carry the Pan American Flame was Panam Sports President Neven Ilic, followed by Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, Minister of Sports César Ramírez, Paraguayan Olympic Committee President Camilo Pérez, a Guaraní representative, and six athletes, officially launching the ASU 2025 Torch Relay.

For 33 days, the ASU 2025 torch will travel through Paraguay’s main cities until it reaches the Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Asunción on August 9 for the Opening Ceremony.

The ASU 2025 Junior Pan American Games will be held from August 9 to 23 and will feature over 4,000 athletes from 41 countries across the continent.

ASUNCION, Paraguay, April 30, 2025.- In an emotional ceremony at the Ignacio A. Pane Municipal Theater in Asuncion, Paraguay, the medals for the II Junior Pan American Games were unveiled.

The medals, which were created inspired by the guarania, a musical expression that embodies the Paraguayan soul, have the score of Jejuí (first guarania) in their design.

As the sun set over the heart of the Mother of Cities, the iconic Ignacio A. Pane Municipal Theater welcomed guests to a special evening that celebrated culture, history, and sport. In a ceremony filled with symbolism, one of the most anticipated emblems of the Games was revealed: the official medal of the Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025—a piece that honors Paraguay’s soul and identity.

During this symbolic evening, with words shared by Camilo Pérez López Moreira, President of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and IOC member; Neven Illic, President of Panam Sports; and César Ramírez Caje, Minister of Sports, the most emblematic symbol of the event was officially unveiled: the medal of the Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025.

Inspired by the guarania, a musical expression that embodies the Paraguayan soul, the medal was presented alongside an emotional reinterpretation of Jejuí, the first guarania composed by José Asunción Flores, the father of the genre.

With just 100 days to go before the most important youth sporting event of the continent, Asunción is preparing to welcome hundreds of young athletes who will chase Olympic glory and seal their dreams with the highest honor worn on their chest: the medal.

From Inspiration and Design to a Symbol of Continental Sport

One hundred years ago, in Asunción, a young José Asunción Flores, at just 21, composed a piece whose emotional depth and lyrical beauty would come to define the Paraguayan spirit. He translated the emotions of an entire people into song, immortalizing the Paraguayan soul in the form of the guarania. This legacy, now recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, was the starting point for designing the ASU2025 medal.

The Local Organizing Committee, in collaboration with biographer Antonio Pecci—who provided invaluable insights into Flores’ life—and with the brilliant work of María Victoria Sosa Zárate, Director of the Asunción Symphony Orchestra, who succeeded in visually translating the score of Jejuí—the first guarania—into the official design of the medal. After countless hours of research and design, the medal took shape with a minimalist aesthetic, deeply rooted in the cultural identity of Paraguay.

The front of the medal begins with the characteristic 6/8 tempo of the guarania and continues with the musical notes of Jejuí, engraved within the staff that circles most of the medal’s edge. On the back, the inscription reads: “Tribute to the Centennial of the Guarania: Jejuí.” This icon will accompany each athlete as a reminder that Asunción was a turning point on their path to glory—just as it was for the creator of the genre that represents us.

Jejuí x ASU2025

As part of this tribute, Jejuí was reinterpreted by the National Symphony Orchestra. This moving version was performed live during the gala, filling the Ignacio A. Pane Municipal Theater with its sound. A renewed rendition that conveys the strength and energy that will define the Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025.

In total, 1,077 medals will be awarded at ASU2025: 333 gold, 333 silver, and 411 bronze.

The Junior Pan American Games will officially open in Asunción on August 9 and run through August 23, bringing together over 4,000 athletes from across the continent to make history.

Tag: ASU2025

The Pan American Flame is Lit and the ASU 2025 Torch Relay Begins

100 Days To Go: ASU 2025 Presents Its Medals