The 6th South American Youth Championships in Athletics were held in Cochabamba, Bolivia from August 3–5, 1979.

[2] Complete results can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.

[3] All results are marked as "affected by altitude" (A), because Cochabamba is located at 2,558 metres above sea level.

*   Host nation (Bolivia) Detailed result lists can be found on the "World Junior Athletics History" website.

[3] An unofficial count yields the number of about 113 athletes from about 5 countries: