San Juan archer Lucas Garcés has secured his place on the Argentine national team for the upcoming 2026 South American Games, known as the Juegos ODESUR, following a demanding national qualifying event held in La Plata, Buenos Aires, according to official provincial sports reports.
Securing a Spot in Rosario 2026
The 36-year-old athlete earned his selection in the men’s compound division after navigating a rigorous weekend of competition hosted by the Academia de Tiro con Arco (ATA), under the sanction of the Federación Argentina de Tiro con Arco (FATARCO). Official government releases from San Juan note that Garcés competed against the country’s top archers for a limited number of roster spots available per gender and specialty.
Following the qualifying rounds and elimination matches on the first weekend of May, Garcés confirmed his status among the nation’s elite. He joins Iván Nikolajuk and Nelson Salinas as the three selected competitors representing Argentina in the men’s compound category.
A Lifetime in the Discipline
Garcés has maintained a lifelong connection to the sport, taking up archery at the age of six. Ahead of the national trials, the veteran competitor met with San Juan’s Undersecretary of High Performance, Eduardo Cerimedo, expressing confidence in his preparations and stating his expectation that a roster spot would return to San Juan.
That intuition proved correct as FATARCO finalized the national delegation. The wider Argentine roster spans multiple divisions, including Alma Pueyo López, Wanda Arca, and María Luisina Giúdice in women’s recurve; Esteban Silva, Damián Jajarabilla, and Matías Noriega in men’s recurve; and María Eugenia González, Guillermina González, and Daniela Cheffer in women’s compound.
Competition Timeline and Venue
The official archery events for the 2026 ODESUR Games will take place from September 12 to 26, 2026, in the city of Rosario, Argentina. Competition matches are scheduled to unfold on the shooting grounds located within the Rosario racetrack.
The wider Argentine delegation across all disciplines will consist of 12 archers in total, maintaining a strict division of three athletes per gender and specialty.
