The 9th South American Youth Championships in Athletics were held in Cuenca, Ecuador, from September 2–4, 1988.

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

[3] All results are marked as "affected by altitude" (A), because Cuenca is located at 2,560 metres above sea level.

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

[3] An unofficial count yields the number of about 190 athletes from about 9 countries: