OCT. 20, 2022

Countdown begins to the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games

We are exactly one year away from the start of the largest multi-sport event in Chile’s history, which will feature athletes and para-athletes from more than 41 countries throughout the Americas. 

 

Government authorities, led by President Gabriel Boric and Sports Minister Alexandra Benado, together with athletes from Team Chile, participated in the countdown ceremony for the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games. The event will start in exactly one year and will mark a milestone in Chile’s sporting history. 

It will be the largest multi-sport event that Chile has organized in its history. The games will bring together athletes and para-athletes from the 41 countries of the Americas. A total of 7,000 conventional athletes and 2,000 para-athletes will meet between October 20 and November 5, 2023. 

According to authorities, the event will be of a very high standard. The State will invest around US$550 million, which will provide Chile with new state-of-the-art sports centers. 

Investment will go towards building infrastructure and developing the logistical aspects associated with the games, such as hotels, transport, food, ceremonies, volunteering, broadcasting and overlay. Two fifths of investment will be destined for permanent infrastructure and three fifths for other initiatives. 

It will be the biggest non-football-related infrastructural investment that has been made in Chile. The National Stadium site will become one of the most important sports parks in South America, with an area of 64 hectares (158 acres). 

In this regard, the main works to be completed will be the National Stadium Park, the Paralympic Sports Center, the Contact Sports Center, the Tennis and Racquet Sports Center, the Team Sports Center, the Urban Sports Arena, the Mario Recordón Athletics Center, the Field Hockey Center, and the Aquatic Center. 

The effort made by the State not only relates to building and instituting infrastructure, but also to the logistics involved in the different aspects of carrying out this sporting mega-event. This includes public security, risk management, transport, accommodation, food, tourism and connectivity. 

Development of the event

During the games, athletes will reside in the Pan American Village, a facility that is being built with about US$100 million in private funds. It will be located next to the Cerrillos Metropolitan Park. 

The games will include 61 sporting disciplines, which will be held in four regions – Valparaíso, Metropolitan, O’Higgins and Biobío – in a total of 20 municipalities. 

Visitors to the games 

To encourage access for children, adolescents and the elderly, free tickets have been organized for those under 18 and those over 65 years of age. 

It is hoped that some 90,000 tourists will visit Chile during the games, boosting the food, tourism and business sectors. 

It is predicted that more than 1,100,000 spectators will visit competition venues, and that the games will be watched by more than 200 million people around the world. 

Infrastructure to be reused for social purposes 

Athletes participating in the games will be housed in 1,355 apartments across 17 tower blocks. After the event, 25% of these apartments will be given to families who are among the 40% most vulnerable. The remaining 75% will be sold with a housing subsidy to middle class families. 

Housing and Urban Services (SERVIU) will also develop a park, to be named Paseo Panamericano, which will connect the apartments with the Cerrillos Metro Station. The project will add considerable value to the apartments, where spaces to rest and play, as well as commercial and service premises, will be installed. 

The tower blocks are next to the Cerrillos Metropolitan Park, which has infrastructure and ample green areas. 

The effort made by the State not only relates to building and instituting infrastructure, but also to the logistics involved in the different aspects of carrying out this sporting mega-event. This includes public security, risk management, transport, accommodation, food, tourism and connectivity. 

The mascot 

The official mascot for the games is called FIU, a many-colored rush tyrant (Tachuris rubrigastra) that lives in Chile’s wetlands. Find out more about FIU here