Valledupar, March 1, 2026. Before thousands of attendees at the Armando Maestre Pavajeau Stadium and with national television broadcasting, Tobalito, the character of the II Parasuramerican Games Valledupar 2026, was officially presented, who was massively shown during the professional soccer match, valid for the BetPlay League between Alianza Valledupar F.C. and América de Cali, in an act that marked the beginning of its positioning as a symbol of inclusion and ambassador of the multisport event.
Five minutes before kickoff, Tobalito entered the field accompanied by athletes with disabilities, performed the symbolic kickoff and shared with the players of both teams, in a scene that was recorded by television cameras and projected to millions of homes in Colombia and the world. The public’s reaction was immediate, in an atmosphere of enthusiasm that consolidated the first link between the citizenship and the official character of Valledupar 2026.
The activity was part of the communication and social appropriation strategy of the Games, aimed at generating early recognition and emotional connection with the community. “Tobalito represents the spirit of these Games: inclusion, resilience and social transformation through sport. We want people to feel it close and for it to be a symbol that unites us as a city and as a country,” said the director of the Valledupar 2026 Parasuramerican Games, Elmer Jiménez Silva.
From the land to the heart of the city
From the land to the heart of the city.
The presentation day began with a tour of the administrative headquarters of the event, located at the Institute of Sports, Recreation and Physical Activity of Valledupar (INDER), where Tobalito was received by managers and technical teams, in a space that highlighted its role as a symbol of integration and motivation for citizenship.
The presentation day began with a tour of the administrative headquarters of the event, located at the Institute of Sports, Recreation and Physical Activity of Valledupar (INDER), where Tobalito was received by managers and technical teams, in a space that highlighted its role as a symbol of integration and motivation for citizenship. Subsequently, the character visited some of the most representative places of Valledupar, such as the Plaza Alfonso López, the Parque de La Provincia and the Guatapurí River, including the traditional Hurtado beach, in a tour that allowed to project him as an ambassador of the territory and highlight the cultural identity of the host city. Inspired by the cañaguate tree, Tobalito embodies values such as resilience, equal opportunities and the celebration of diversity, becoming a pedagogical and emotional vehicle to bring the Paralympic movement closer to children, youth and families, and strengthen the sense of belonging to the Games.
The Tobalito is a symbol of the Paralympic movement.
With this presentation, Valledupar takes a key step on the road to the II Parasuramerican Games 2026, an event that in July 2026, will mark the beginning of the Paralympic cycle in the region and will bring together 1,123 athletes from 12 countries of the continent. In this process, Tobalito will be a central figure for the promotion, citizen ownership and national and international projection of the most important Paralympic sport event in the history of Colombia.
