Athletics events at the 1994 South American Games were held at the Polideportivo Misael Delgado in Valencia, Venezuela. A total of 43 events were contested, 24 by men and 19 by women. Following a controversy between Sabino Hernández, president of the ComitéOlímpico Ecuatoriano and Jacobo Bucaram, president of the FederaciónEcuatoriana de Atletismo in the context of funding the number of athletes totravel to the games (22 versus 33 athletes), Ecuador did not participate in this year's athletics competitions.