At the 2026 South American Games, padel awarded its first official medals. Paraguay won the men’s gold and Argentina the women’s gold in Rafaela, where around 4,100 spectators attended the finals of a competition featuring 32 athletes from eight national teams.
Abud and Dehnike claim the first men’s gold for Paraguay
Martín Abud and Facundo Dehnike beat Argentinians Santino Contreras and Ignacio Piotto 6-4, 7-6 in the men’s final. The Paraguayan pair finished the event unbeaten and dropped only one set across the four days of competition, according to the International Padel Federation.
Abud and Dehnike had already represented Paraguay in the South American FIP World Cup Qualifiers, which they won at the end of August. After the final in Rafaela, Abud linked the title to Paraguay’s recent progress.
Gold medal! Paraguayan Padel has reached the highest levels in South America. Now let’s enjoy this moment.
Uruguay took the men’s bronze through Juan Ignacio Artia Malugani and Higor Ensslin Alves, who beat Chileans Daniel Salinas Ordenes and Matías Negrete Oliva 6-2, 6-2.
Vilchez and Mosca win without dropping a set
Victoria Milena Vilchez and María Belén Mosca delivered women’s gold for Argentina by defeating Chileans Catalina Arancibia and Kimberley Ahumada Carrasco 6-2, 6-3. The Argentinians won every match in straight sets and conceded only 15 games throughout the competition.
Ecuador completed the women’s podium through Alejandra Álvarez and Marinés Holguín Reyes. The Ecuadorians defeated Peruvians Nicole Aragonés and María Paula Torres Draxl in the bronze-medal match.
Padel moves from exhibition event to medal sport
The Rafaela tournament was the first padel competition officially included in the South American Games programme, following exhibition matches at Asunción 2022. The official FIP event page lists the competition from 22 to 25 September 2026 at Estadio Invencible.
The first medal ceremony forms part of a wider multi-sport calendar for padel. After the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, FIP also lists padel at the Asian Games in Nagoya from 28 September to 3 October 2026 and at the European Games in Istanbul in 2027.
