{"id":34738,"date":"2026-10-06T10:45:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/?post_type=news-sport&p=34738"},"modified":"2026-10-06T11:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T17:04:33","slug":"panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"news-sport","link":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The event will feature three days of engaging presentations, dialogue, and community-building with the athletes\u2019 commissions of the region\u2019s National Olympic Committee.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COSTA RICA, October 7, 2026.<\/strong> Panam Sports, through its Athletes\u2019 Commission and with the support of International Olympic Solidarity, will host the 4th Continental Athletes\u2019 Forum from October 12 to 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the successful editions in Miami in 2018, Canc\u00fan in 2022, and Punta Cana in 2024, the Pan American Sports Organization has chosen San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica, to host this important gathering of athletes from the Americas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event will bring together representatives from the various Athletes\u2019 Commissions across the continent with the goal of strengthening the voice of athletes within the Olympic Movement and sharing tools, opportunities, and best practices that will support the work and advancement of athletes in their respective countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the significant support of International Olympic Solidarity, we are organizing this forum, which means a great deal to our athletes. It is a unique opportunity for our athletes to hear from interesting speakers, share their own experiences, and take back to their countries important development tools so that their commissions can continue to grow and continue to be heard within the Olympic Movement in the Americas,\u201d said Panam Sports Secretary General Jimena Salda\u00f1a. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day One: Athletes\u2019 Commissions Take the Lead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first day will focus on the work recently carried out by the Panam Sports Athletes\u2019 Commissions and the International Olympic Committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representing the IOC, the commission\u2019s president and global basketball legend, Pau Gasol, and Colombia\u2019s two-time Olympic champion in BMX cycling, Mariana Paj\u00f3n, have already confirmed their attendance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representing Panam Sports will be the President of the Athletes\u2019 Commission, Isabel Swan of Brazil, and the Vice President, Germ\u00e1n Chiaraviglio of Argentina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants will then work in groups to analyze what their commissions are doing well, what areas need improvement, and what the role of the Panam Sports Athletes\u2019 Commission is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this first day of activities, the \u201cPan American Athlete\u2019s Path\u201d is scheduled\u2014a two-hour session designed to explain to athletes the opportunities, services, and benefits they can receive through Panam Sports\u2019 various programs; it will also gather and analyze the delegations\u2019 diverse opinions regarding their experiences at the Pan American Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olympic Solidarity representatives Olivier Niamkey and Esperanza Martin Santana will present the programs, funds, and opportunities available to athletes, followed by a question-and-answer session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A subsequent session will address funding and best practices for athletes\u2019 commissions, including Olympic Solidarity funding for NOC athletes\u2019 commissions, Panam Sports scholarships, and examples from four commissions in the region: Puerto Rico, Mexico, Aruba, and Bermuda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day will conclude with an inspirational talk by Costa Rican Olympic athlete Roberto Sawyers about his athletic career and his transition to life after sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day Two: Integrity, Well-being, and Life After Sports<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second day will begin with an interactive IOC session led by Karen Dolphin, \u201cFit for the Future,\u201d on strengthening athlete representation in the Olympic Movement. Next, Susana Egoavil of WADA will give a presentation on the fight against doping and how athletes\u2019 commissions can develop educational activities for athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program will continue with a focus on athletes\u2019 well-being. Maria Carla Sayavedra and Monserrat Hidalgo will lead a session on safe sport, protection, and mental health. Pau Gasol will return to share his life story, resilience, and legacy, followed by a question-and-answer session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The afternoon will feature two panels. The first, on career transition and family life, will address entrepreneurship, financial education, and the balance between high-performance sports and family life, with the participation of Macarena Alexanderson, Carlos Santiago, and Mariana Paj\u00f3n, moderated by Melissa Mojica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second panel, \u201cAthletes and Olympians Giving Back to Sports,\u201d will bring together former athlete and current Senator of the Republic of Chile, Sebastian Keitel; the current General Director of Mexico\u2019s CONADE, Rommel Pacheco; Makeba Alcide; and Isabel Swan, with Brendan Williams serving as moderator. This session aims to show the audience how retired athletes, through their work and leadership roles, contribute to giving back to sports and its athletes everything they achieved during their careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isabel Swan and Germ\u00e1n Chiaraviglio will deliver the closing remarks and present the commission\u2019s commitments during the evening dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day Three: Teamwork<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forum will conclude on October 14 with a teamwork activity at Cataratas de La Paz, before the participants depart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans can follow the forum live and free of charge on the Panam Sports Channel on October 12 and 13th. The Continental Athletes\u2019 Forum reflects Panam Sports\u2019 commitment to placing athletes at the center of its work and decisions, as the continent moves toward the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel free to download the Panam Sports Channel app here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a> to view the full schedule for the IV Athletes\u2019 Forum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The event will feature three days of engaging presentations, dialogue, and community-building […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":34739,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news_sports":[133],"class_list":["post-34738","news-sport","type-news-sport","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news_sports-panam-sports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA - Panam Sports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA - Panam Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The event will feature three days of engaging presentations, dialogue, and community-building […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Panam Sports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-06T17:04:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"541\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/\",\"name\":\"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA - Panam Sports\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-06T16:45:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-06T17:04:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":541},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/news-sport\\\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Panam Sports\",\"description\":\"Home\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.panamsports.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA - Panam Sports","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA - Panam Sports","og_description":"The event will feature three days of engaging presentations, dialogue, and community-building […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/","og_site_name":"Panam Sports","article_modified_time":"2026-10-06T17:04:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":541,"url":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/","url":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/","name":"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA - Panam Sports","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-10-06T16:45:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-06T17:04:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-10-05-at-16.21.04-e1791305051600.jpeg","width":960,"height":541},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/news-sport\/panam-sports-brings-together-athletes-from-the-americas-at-the-iv-continental-athletes-forum-in-costa-rica\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"PANAM SPORTS BRINGS TOGETHER ATHLETES FROM THE AMERICAS AT THE IV CONTINENTAL ATHLETES\u2019 FORUM IN COSTA RICA"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/","name":"Panam Sports","description":"Home","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-sport\/34738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-sport"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-sport"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_sports","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.panamsports.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_sports?post=34738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}