Heart of the Games: Poletti hailed 1,300 volunteers in Santa Fe | OneFootball

The mayor visited volunteers carrying out different tasks at Parque del Sur this Tuesday and thanked them for the commitment with which they are supporting the competition. In Santa Fe, around 1,300 people are spread across 20 areas and carry out duties at the different Games venues.

Mayor Juan Pablo Poletti visited the Parque del Sur Amphitheater at midday this Tuesday, where the Fan Fest for the 13th South American Games Santa Fe 2026 is being held, to greet and recognize some of the volunteers who work every day to support the development of the competition in the city.

In Santa Fe, around 1,300 volunteers are distributed across 20 roles and perform different duties at sports venues and other spaces linked to the Games. Ceremonial and protocol, delegation support, sports assistance, logistics, communication, accreditation, transportation, and food service are some of the tasks they carry out during shifts of up to six hours.

“We especially wanted to come and thank you. Many times we see the competition, the full venues, and the athletes, but behind all that there are hundreds of people working to make sure everything goes well. Volunteers are a fundamental part of these Games, and they are showing enormous commitment to Santa Fe,” Poletti said.

The mayor also toured the basement of the Amphitheater, where 25 volunteers work on the preparation and organization of the meal boxes distributed to students taking part in the activities and to the volunteers themselves. “There is a huge amount of work that perhaps residents who come to enjoy the Games do not see. From welcoming a delegation to preparing a meal box, every task contributes and makes it possible for Santa Fe to rise to the level of an international event like this,” the mayor added.

An experience that also leaves a mark

Among the volunteers is 22-year-old Paulina Cardoso, who is taking part in this kind of experience for the first time. She studies Event Organization, Ceremonial, and Protocol at Instituto Sol, and during the Games she is working precisely in that area, accompanying delegations at the new Invencible Santa Fe multi-purpose stadium.

“It’s a really wonderful experience. We can apply a lot of what we are taught in theory, and here we put it into practice,” Paulina said.

It is also the first volunteer experience for 19-year-old Gerónimo Reutlinger, who is part of the Protocol team. For him, one of the most meaningful aspects is being able to experience an international competition from the inside and to do so in his own city. “For this to happen in Santa Fe is something magical. The city has a different vibe: people talk about which sport is on, what is happening each day, and they get excited about disciplines they may not have known before,” he said.

In the basement of the Amphitheater, Mayra Rojas works alongside Valentina Peralta. Mayra said she joined the volunteer program with the intention of having a new experience, and today she is part of the team responsible for preparing the meal boxes. “I really like it. It’s a very good group with very good coordinators. You can see lots of people enjoying the Fan Fest, the Games, and the sports,” she said.

The volunteers come from different age groups and backgrounds: there are students, adults, and people who have already taken part in other sports experiences. In addition to the competition venues, around 120 serve at the South American Village, supporting the day-to-day operation of the space where the athletes live together.

During these two weeks, their work is a central part of the organization and, at the same time, an opportunity to experience from the inside an event that changed the rhythm of Santa Fe for a few days.

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