President Gabriel Boric and Chilean sports authorities began the countdown to the Pan American and Parapan American Games, one year after the start of the most important multi-sport event in the country’s history.
In the presence of the athletes who were at the South American Games in Asunción, Boric stressed the importance of having these fairs and recognized the efforts of the athletes who will be part of Team Chile.
«I think of the tremendous damage that you do, in your families, where the State is often not up to what they do and we must do much more. We have to continue supporting high-performance athletes based on determination, effort and passion,” said the president.
The president highlighted that Sports is the ministry that has increased the most (with 86.6% more) compared to the 2022 budget and pointed out: “We are risking the image of the country, we are going to have the possibility of presenting Chile to our entire region, We are going to demonstrate our capacity for organization and to spread joy”.
The holder of the portfolio, Alexandra Benado, underlined the impact that the appointment represents for the country, “not only a material legacy”, but also at a social level “and above all, for the sports culture of our boys, girls and young people” , said.
“The Games represent an opportunity for inclusion. We are developing an infrastructure that has universal accessibility. We are committed to the point of inclusion for people with disabilities”, added the Minister of Sport.
During the activity, the new motto “Our meeting point” was announced, which will be used until the start of the event, set for October 20, 2023.
“The next Games are in themselves a meeting point for all Chilean men and women, it is a state event and we speak of both events without distinction, this is the product of the commitment we have to inclusion, one of the pillars that have been defined in this administration, everyone fits in here,” said Gianna Cunazza, executive director of the Santiago 2023 Corporation, the event’s organizing entity.
The act concluded with the activation of the clocks to exactly 365 days for the Pan American Games and 393 for the Parapan American Games, competitions that will have the participation of 7,000 conventional athletes and 2,000 Paralympians from 41 countries of the continent, from October 20 to 5 November and from November 17 to 26, 2023, respectively. EFE
