Santa Cruz concluded its run at the Juegos Binacionales de la Araucanía 2026 in Valdivia, Chile, capturing the ninth spot in the overall medal table with 18 total preseas, featuring eight gold, two silver, and eight bronze medals, El Diario Nuevo Día reported. The week-long binational competition across the Los Ríos Region brought together youth athletes from the Argentine Patagonia and southern Chile.
Closing out team sports across Los Ríos venues
In women’s volleyball, the Santa Cruz provincial selection secured a sixth-place finish after dropping a 3-0 decision to Araucanía in their final match, featuring El Calafate representative Antonella Bonano. Women’s basketball matched that sixth-place result, falling 71-54 to Chubut in a contest that included El Calafate-born Malen Bazán. Meanwhile, the men’s volleyball team also finished sixth following a 3-1 defeat against La Pampa.
Women’s football wrapped up its schedule at the El Boldo stadium in El Corral, where Santa Cruz lost 2-1 to Los Ríos in the match for ninth and tenth places. That result placed the squad tenth overall, with El Calafate players Brianna and Mariana González on the roster.
Swimming and judo podium finishes
The provincial swimming delegation closed its schedule on Thursday, October 29, with three podium performances, Noticias Santa Cruz reported. Lourdes Bicocca claimed first place in the 200-meter butterfly, Zoe Acuña took third in the 200-meter freestyle, and the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team—consisting of Acuña, Pía Albornoz, and Bicocca—secured a third-place finish. In overall standings, the Santa Cruz men finished sixth and the women placed fifth. The women’s swimming roster included titulares Lourdes Bicocca, Zoe Acuña, Jana Manríquez, Pía Albornoz, Federica Lucero, and Luciana Romero, alongside alternates Juana Sesnic, Trinidad Vivar, Zoe Robaccio, Emily Becker, Mía Ciena, and Violeta Amuchástegui. The men’s squad featured titulares Lautaro Tedesco, Joaquín Zuleta, Mariano Kero, Santiago Maiale, Benjamín Núñez, and Santiago Brigatto, while the group of alternates comprised Ariel Manríquez, Lucas Agüero, Román Aybar, and Ramiro Subiabre from Río Gallegos, together with Valentino Mattio and Gael Perpignan from El Calafate.
In judo, the women’s team captured third place in the team competition, anchoring a fourth-place overall finish for the discipline. The roster featured athletes from Caleta Olivia alongside El Calafate competitors Melody González, Priscila Pazos, Ana Paula de Lima, and Desiree Polacco, under the technical direction of El Calafate coach Vanesa Tittarelli.
Athletics success and an emotional tribute
Athletics added another podium appearance when a competitor from Puerto San Julián took third place in the 100-meter hurdles final. Away from the competition venues, the Santa Cruz football delegation in Valdivia carried a banner honoring José and Leo, two young boys from the community, sending a message of support to the Virreira family. The football squad included Miqueas Ledesma, Lorenzo Cuello, and Mirko Covacich.
Flag handover concludes the games
The binational event concluded with a closing ceremony at the Complejo Campos Deportivos Arauco in Valdivia. During the event, Sub-secretary of Sports Gonzalo Mansilla, alongside Santa Cruz athletes Santiago Guidetti and Lourdes Bicocca, accepted the official tournament flag from Chilean authorities. Following the conclusion of the games, the provincial delegation undertook its return journey to Santa Cruz to be welcomed by families, while the provincial sports secretariat highlighted the support of the provincial government and Claudio Vidal in enabling the youth participation.
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