100 Days To Go: ASU 2025 Presents Its Medals
ASUNCION, Paraguay, April 30, 2025.- In an emotional ceremony at the
Ignacio A. Pane Municipal Theater in Asuncion, Paraguay, the medals
for the II Junior Pan American Games were unveiled.
The medals, which were created inspired by the guarania, a musical
expression that embodies the Paraguayan soul, have the score of
Jejuí (first guarania) in their design.
As the sun set over the heart of the Mother of Cities, the iconic
Ignacio A. Pane Municipal Theater welcomed guests to a special
evening that celebrated culture, history, and sport. In a ceremony
filled with symbolism, one of the most anticipated emblems of the
Games was revealed: the official medal of the Junior Pan American
Games Asunción 2025—a piece that honors Paraguay’s soul and
identity.
During this symbolic evening, with words shared by Camilo Pérez
López Moreira, President of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee and IOC
member; Neven Illic, President of Panam Sports; and César Ramírez
Caje, Minister of Sports, the most emblematic symbol of the event
was officially unveiled: the medal of the Junior Pan American Games
Asunción 2025.
Inspired by the guarania, a musical expression that embodies the
Paraguayan soul, the medal was presented alongside an emotional
reinterpretation of Jejuí, the first guarania composed by José
Asunción Flores, the father of the genre.
With just 100 days to go before the most important youth sporting
event of the continent, Asunción is preparing to welcome hundreds of
young athletes who will chase Olympic glory and seal their dreams
with the highest honor worn on their chest: the medal.
From Inspiration and Design to a Symbol of Continental Sport
One hundred years ago, in Asunción, a young José Asunción Flores, at
just 21, composed a piece whose emotional depth and lyrical beauty
would come to define the Paraguayan spirit. He translated the
emotions of an entire people into song, immortalizing the Paraguayan
soul in the form of the guarania. This legacy, now recognized by
UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, was the starting
point for designing the ASU2025 medal.
The Local Organizing Committee, in collaboration with biographer
Antonio Pecci—who provided invaluable insights into Flores’ life—and
with the brilliant work of María Victoria Sosa Zárate, Director of
the Asunción Symphony Orchestra, who succeeded in visually
translating the score of Jejuí—the first guarania—into the official
design of the medal. After countless hours of research and design,
the medal took shape with a minimalist aesthetic, deeply rooted in
the cultural identity of Paraguay.
The front of the medal begins with the characteristic 6/8 tempo of
the guarania and continues with the musical notes of Jejuí, engraved
within the staff that circles most of the medal’s edge. On the back,
the inscription reads: “Tribute to the Centennial of the Guarania:
Jejuí.” This icon will accompany each athlete as a reminder that
Asunción was a turning point on their path to glory—just as it was
for the creator of the genre that represents us.
Jejuí x ASU2025
As part of this tribute, Jejuí was reinterpreted by the National
Symphony Orchestra. This moving version was performed live during
the gala, filling the Ignacio A. Pane Municipal Theater with its
sound. A renewed rendition that conveys the strength and energy that
will define the Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025.
In total, 1,077 medals will be awarded at ASU2025: 333 gold, 333
silver, and 411 bronze.
The Junior Pan American Games will officially open in Asunción on
August 9 and run through August 23, bringing together over 4,000
athletes from across the continent to make history. |