The Pan American Games in Santiago, the capital of Chile, are the 19th edition of the largest multi-sport competition on the American continent, held every four years and one year before the Summer Olympics. The first took place in Buenos Aires in 1951.

This is the first time that Chile has hosted this event. Santiago had been chosen as its headquarters in 1975 and 1987, but political and financial problems led her to resign from the organization on both occasions.

THE COMPETITION

More than 6,900 athletes from 41 countries and territories will compete until Sunday, November 5. The competition program is massive, even larger than that of the Olympic Games. There will be competitions in 39 sports, totaling 425 events.

The area surrounding the National Stadium will be the epicenter of the Games, the scene of athletics, swimming, gymnastics, tennis and field hockey, among others. Chile’s main sports center has a link to the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, as it was the first center of detention and torture after the 1973 coup.

In addition to most competitions in Santiago, the regions of Valparaíso, O’Higgins and Biobío will also receive tests. Surfing, for example, will take place at Punta de Lobos Beach in O’Higgins.

Athletes, coaches and other members of the delegations will stay at Villa Panamericana, a residential complex built in Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos, an area located southwest of Santiago. After the Games, the complex of 17 buildings will be transformed into a subsidized housing district.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE PROGRAM

Santiago 2023 is launching three sports: skateboarding, sport climbing and station wagon. The first two have already made their Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 and the next ones will do so at Paris 2024. The common denominator of the three is their urban character given the Olympic movement’s interest in attracting a younger audience.

SPORTS READ BY PAN-AMERICANS

Eight of the sports will not be in Paris: baseball, softball, Basque pelota, bowling, skating, water skiing, racquetball and squash.

It is precisely the countries weak in sport, like Bolivia, which place their hopes in these tests. They have Conrrado Moscoso, world champion and number one in the racquetball rankings. Four years ago, in Lima, Moscoso was part of the team that, along with brothers Carlos, Roland Keller and Kadim Carrasco, gave Bolivia its first gold medal at the Pan American Games.

OLYMPIC RANKINGS

Never before have the Pan American Games allocated so many places for the Olympic Games: 21 of the sports will distribute a direct pass to Paris and 12 others will be used to obtain qualifying scores or points for the Olympic ranking.

NEUTRAL DELEGATION

Guatemalan athletes come without being able to display their national colors. If they get on the top step of the podium, they won’t be able to hear their anthem either. Indeed, the International Olympic Committee suspended the national committee for a modification of the statutes that the highest court of justice in this Central American country approved in 2022. The IOC does not tolerate government interference. Thus, the Guatemalans will compete under the neutral colors of Panam Sports.

THE MEDALS

Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded. For Chile, copper has economic and symbolic value. The country is the world’s largest producer of the red metal and the country’s most representative mineral.

The heart of the medals will be made of copper. Through an artisanal oxidation process, it will generate green tones for its version in the Pan American medals and blue tones for the Parapan American Games.

The medals have a different coating depending on whether they occupy first, second or third place. They measure 10 centimeters in diameter and eight millimeters thick and weigh between 270 and 280 grams.

TRANSPORTATION

The government estimates the arrival of 100,000 visitors during the Games. There will be separate lanes for public transportation associated with the event and for vehicles related to the organization. All athletes received a Bip card, which serves as their entry, with which they can take two free trips per day. On opening day, guests must travel from Cerrillos to the National Stadium by Santiago Metro.

CLIMATE

On September 21, spring began. In October and November, maximum temperatures generally vary between 23 and 28 degrees, falling at night and early in the morning between 7 and 10 degrees. It is necessary to have a jacket or windbreaker.

Unlike other cities, in the Chilean capital, temperatures rise or fall around 20 degrees.