MIAMI-, Lima was chosen as the headquarters of the 2027 Pan American Games this Tuesday at an Extraordinary General Assembly of Panama Sports celebrated in Miami.
“With 28 votes, the venue for the next Pan American Games is Lima, Peru,” announced Chilean Neven Ilic, president of the Pan American Sports Organization (Panama Sports).
Representatives of 40 National Olympic Committees participated in the vote, 12 of them with the right to two votes for having hosted Pan American Games in the past.
In this way, Lima will host the Pan American Games eight years after having organized them in 2019.
“I am very happy and very grateful to the representatives of the national committees for having the kindness to place their trust in Peru. Feel confident that the twentieth Pan American Games will be the best,” said Gustavo Adrianzén, Peruvian Prime Minister.
In August 2021, Barranquilla had been designated the venue for the 2027 Pan American Games, but in January of this year Panam Sports announced its decision to withdraw the headquarters from the Colombian city for failure to pay 8 million dollars.
In February 2024, Lima and Asunción were announced as candidates to replace Barranquilla and this Tuesday the capital of Peru was finally chosen to host the next continental event.
Lima’s offer
Prior to the vote, the representatives of both candidates had 40 minutes each to present their proposals to the Panama Executive Committee. Sportswho was present at the Assembly, and before the delegates of the 40 national committees who followed the event and voted online.
Both cities guaranteed the operating budget for the Games. Lima announced an investment of more than 369 million dollars while the figure for Asunción would have been 315 million dollars.
In his presentation Renzo Manyari, president of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, assured that Lima is prepared to hold the Pan American Games “at any time” in 2027, but his specific proposal is to celebrate them in the month of September. In 2023, the Peruvian capital celebrated them in July.
The official highlighted that the construction of five other towers will be added to the Pan American village that was built for the Games in 2019 to offer more than 10,000 beds and thus exceed the requirement of 9,800.
Manyari highlighted that Lima will also have the appropriate infrastructure to develop the tournaments of the five new sports from the Olympic program: flag football, lacrosse, baseball/softball, squash and cricket; Regarding this last discipline, he highlighted that it has been played in Peru since 1856.
Peru also boasted that it had access to the sea to hold the aquatic events, unlike Paraguay, which would have required the support of a sub-host country.
Lima also showed off the comfort and connection offered by the Jorge Chávez International Airport and the mobility provided by its electric train system.
In terms of accommodation, the Peruvian capital will have more than 170,000 hotel beds. At the 2019 Pan American Games, Lima was visited by 50,000 foreign tourists.
“For Panama Sports It was very gratifying that two cities have presented their candidacies very professionally,” said Neven Ilic and stressed that “Lima has shown us for the second time that it is a capital of the sport“.
The last Pan American Games were organized by Santiago, Chile between October and November 2023.
Source: AFP
