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Four young stars of last year’s Phygital School Games in Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala were thrilled to fly to Astana this summer to watch the Games of the Future 2026 in person as a reward for their efforts.
Gabriel Andrée Chiu Najera and Ada Cardona from Guatemala, Gustavo Garcias de Oliveira Yamagi from Brazil and Miguel Ángel Upegui Londoño from Colombia, were all given the VIP treatment as they toured this year’s arenas and met with professional phygital athletes. And the experience has left a lasting impression.
“It’s been a great experience,” said 14-year-old Gabriel who was a Phygital Football winner in Phygital School Games Guatemala. “It was a long journey to get here, but I’ve really enjoyed everything we’ve seen and the way everyone has welcomed and treated us.”
Ada, 12, was even more enthusiastic. She competed in the Phygital School Games representing her school, Colegio Tecnológico Sinaí in Guatemala, and won the Phygital Dancing category. “Being here is incredible,” she said. “I love it. Seeing everything has been fantastic – it’s a beautiful city and a very special experience.”
Miguel, 16, a dance veteran in his native Colombia, has been a Just Dance player “for as long as I can remember”. He says his experience of doing the Phygital School Games and his visit to Astana have confirmed his long-held ambition to study dancing.
“The Phygital School Games was my first major event, but I’ve always wanted to compete in tournaments,” he said. “I’d love to come back one day and become the Phygital Dancing champion. I’d really like to do this professionally.”
Gustavo, 27, came to phygital via his university in Brazil, where he is a star football player – but he still hopes one day to compete at a Games of the Future.
“I’m already the oldest one here,” he laughed. “But I’d definitely like to continue competing in phygital sport because I’ve really enjoyed it. I would recommend it, especially to younger kids. I feel like I discovered it a little late, but it’s still been a great experience to be part of it. I really believe it’s the future.”
The Phygital School Games is a series of tournaments held annually by WPC members in Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala to encourage school-age children to discover and take part in phygital sport. It has been supported and encouraged by local government agencies as a way of helping to meet youth health targets.
Other phygital federations in Venezuela and Mexico are now looking at launching their own Phygital School Games pilot schemes and there are hopes that it could one day be rolled out not only across the whole of Latin America, but also the world.
It began as the brainchild of former footballer Pablo Melgar, who is now President of the Guatemalan Esports Association and a key promoter of youth phygital development in the region. He accompanied the young stars on their visit to Astana.
“It’s very motivating to see other countries wanting to do this locally,” Melgar said. “If we build phygital with kids, we build it for the future.”
