Germán Chiaraviglio: “Hats off to Santa Fe’s investment in sport” | OneFootball

On the eve of the start of athletics at the South American Games, the former pole vaulter and sports ambassador looked ahead to the four scheduled days at the CARD track in the city of Santa Fe. The Santa Fe native also highlighted the new venues that will remain as a legacy for younger generations.

One of the most anticipated disciplines of the 13th South American Games will take place from this Tuesday, September 22, through Friday, September 25: athletics. Over four days, Santa Fe 2026 will bring together athletes from across the continent in sprinting, middle-distance, long-distance, hurdles, relays, jumps, throws, race walking, and combined events. The competitions will be held at the renovated Pedro Candioti High Performance Sports Center (CARD) in the city of Santa Fe, on Tacca Street 700.

Germán Chiaraviglio, a historic figure in Argentine athletics and a Santa Fe 2026 ambassador, spoke to the press this Monday on the eve of the start of the events. “We’re very happy. Tomorrow the mother of all sports begins, for me the most beautiful sport of these Games, but we’re also happy about the turnout and the public’s response; today we have a training day and many stands are already full with school groups in attendance,” he said.

Chiaraviglio also took the opportunity to stress that “having a tournament like this in the city is spectacular because it lets us show it to the people; it’s wonderful to be able to share this with the whole community. For many years we demanded it, we complained, we regretted the condition of a track that was an emblem in 1982 for the Southern Cross Games. Don’t just think about the South American Games, but about the legacy this is going to leave for the new generations,” he said.

In this regard, the former pole vaulter praised the policies of Maximiliano Pullaro’s government, saying that “you have to take your hat off to the Santa Fe Government for its investment in infrastructure and sports facilities; for putting sports on the agenda, and that is truly very important.”

Chiaraviglio explained that “not only because of sport itself, but because sport keeps kids away from where we don’t want them to be, because it is a health prevention tool, because it also gives many young people and teenagers a goal—they get up every day wanting to train, improve, compete, have a purpose; believe me, for many of the generations to come that means a lot,” he emphasized.

Qualifier for the Pan American Games

The Santa Fe native said that the atmosphere is one of great anticipation, with a “very excited” Argentine team. It is worth noting that the winners of each event will qualify for Lima 2027, the next Pan American Games. “It’s a great opportunity for the athletes because it gives you a lot of peace of mind to be able to plan the tournament ahead of time and not be thinking about qualifying until the very last moment,” he added.

Argentine long-distance runner Micaela Levaggi shared how she is experiencing the hours before her debut at Santa Fe 2026: “I start competing on Wednesday. Experiencing this in my country—I’m from Mar del Plata—is very special. The first track I ever competed on outside my province was here, at a national meet, and even back then it was already quite deteriorated; coming back and seeing it like this is incredible.”

Levaggi, who set a South American record in the 1,500 meters in Spain this year, celebrated the public turnout, saying that “it’s a joy. We came to train today, and all the school kids were there asking us for photos and cheering us on. This reminds you of the true importance of sport,” she concluded.

The most modern track

Santa Fe now has the best and most modern athletics track in the country, a sporting legacy that will remain for the athletic development of generations of people from Santa Fe. The work included the complete replacement of the track, with an investment of 4 billion pesos by the Government of Santa Fe. The surface is certified by World Athletics and features a Class 1 synthetic surface, similar to the one used in Paris 2024 for the Olympic Games.

Italian company Mondo is the supplier of the athletics track, designed to stand out in performance and sustainability. A new grandstand with seating for 900 spectators was also built, along with new locker rooms, a new control booth, public restrooms, a press room, storage areas for sports equipment, among other works.

It is worth remembering that the Government of Santa Fe is investing more than 90 million dollars in works linked to the 2026 South American Games, including 75 million in external financing provided by CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean), in addition to contributions from the provincial treasury.

Top-level athletics

Starting this Tuesday, the athletics program includes a wide variety of events for both men and women. There will be track events: pure sprint races (100m, 200m, 400m) and the technical hurdle races (100m/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles). Middle-distance and long-distance competitions: endurance races ranging from 800m and 1,500m to the 5,000m and 10,000m distance events, including the 3,000m steeplechase. There will also be field events such as jumps and throws: high jump, long jump, pole vault, and triple jump. Throwing events will include shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin. Finally, there will be combined events and relays: combined competitions such as the decathlon and heptathlon, and team relays (4x100m and 4x400m, including mixed relays).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.