Panama is Celebrating an Outstanding Performance at the XII Central American Games Guatemala 2025
Panama is standing out especially in Flag Football and Esports, with historic achievements for the country. Esports are organized, competitive video gaming, involving individual players or teams competing in structured tournaments and leagues for prizes, sponsorships, and prize money. These events can range from online competitions played from home to large-scale, live, in-person events with stadium-like audiences. Esports players are professional gamers who train and compete at a high level in specific games like League of Legends or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The Panamanian flag football team left an indelible mark on these Games by taking home gold medals in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The women’s team swept the field with a 34-0 victory over Guatemala, consolidating their dominance and becoming champions of the competition, which also took place at the Panama sub-venue. In the men’s category, the Panamanian team was not far behind, demonstrating its superiority with a resounding 47-12 victory over the Guatemalans, securing another gold medal for the country. These achievements not only represent a major step forward for the development of flag football in Panama, but also for the country’s sporting history, demonstrating the consolidation of both men’s and women’s sports at an internationally competitive level.
Esports: A Historic Milestone for Panama
In a historic day, Michael Lawson won the first gold medal in Esports in the E-Football category at the Central American Games. Lawson prevailed in the final against Arnaldo Vásquez of Guatemala, putting Panama on the podium in the world of esports. With an exciting stage and the support of local fans, Lawson became a benchmark for esports in the region. In addition, in the League of Legends modalities, the Panamanian team made up of Caleb Fenton, Carlos Zheng, Fernando García, Gerardo Madrid and Joshua Torres also won the gold medal. Rubén Cárdenas took the silver medal in Gran Turismo, while Samuel Vargas won the bronze in Tekken, completing a golden day for Panamanian Esports.
Other Notable Medals for Panama
The Sambo team also caused a stir by winning several medals in the Combat and Sport categories. Elton Brown pictured below was crowned champion in the Combat -88kg category, while Carlos Gamboa and Cristhian Rovira took silver in the Sport -79kg and Combat -79kg categories, respectively. Andrés Molina also earned a bronze in the Sport +98kg category.
