The Colombia National Cheerleading Team won the gold medal at the ICU World Cheerleading Championships 2026, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The national delegation achieved first place in the Youth Coed Median category, surpassing the scores of the teams from England and Ecuador.
This result represents Colombia´s second world title in this discipline at the national team level, following the one they obtained in 2019. Under the technical direction of Sergio Andre Suarez Ortiz, the Youth category team —composed of 24 athletes between the ages of 12 and 14— executed a routine of acrobatics and pyramids that the international judges evaluated with outstanding marks.
The scoring system
A technical evaluation based on a comparative analysis that demands precision in every movement produced the Colombian delegation’s score. In this sport, any misalignment in synchronization directly impacts the final score.
“It is a comparative ‘chip reading’ system in which they compare all teams according to their acrobatic skills, gymnastics, routine impression, tosses, and Stunt Group. And in the end, approximately 15 judges grade this, and then there is a ranking and a determination of which team occupies first place,” the national coach and leader of the technical process detailed.
The “chip reading” system objectively measures elements such as the height of the tosses (baskets), the stability of the pyramids, and the difficulty level of the “stunts.” The 15 judges divide into specialized panels to evaluate jump technique, gymnastics difficulty, and “routine impression,” a criterion that analyzes the cleanliness of the choreographic execution according to the standards of the International Cheer Union (ICU).
Results in youth categories
The country’s participation included other notable results. The national team also won the silver medal in the Junior Coed Advanced category (athletes from 15 to 18 years old). Coach Sebastian Villada led this squad, which maintained a close competition for the top spots with the United States delegation.
The Colombian Cheerleading Federation led the eight-month preparation process for this World Championship. The group of athletes included representatives from local leagues in Bogota, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, and the Coffee Axis. The joint effort made it possible to present a technical proposal that the evaluators in Florida received well.
Context of the competition
Colombia’s victory occurs in a competitive environment where teams from the United States and Europe usually occupy the top spots. Precision in tosses and fluidity in gymnastics transitions allowed the Colombian team to place at the top of the standings in this Orlando edition.
“This result is the product of the work of the young people and the support of their families,” team sources indicated after the awards ceremony. With this performance, Colombia adds new recognition in this discipline and strengthens its youth training processes. Cheerleading continues its development as a high-performance sport globally, while it seeks inclusion in the Summer Olympic Games program.