Jump to content

2023 Pan American Games


Tatsh

Recommended Posts

The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for 8 PM local time (3 PM PST / 11 PM GMT) and will take place in the Estadio Bicentenario. The confirmed musical acts are:

  • Prince Royce
  • Inti-Illimani Historico
  • Joe Vasconcellos
  • Pascuala Ilabaca

The Barranquilla 2027 presentation will be entitled "Colombia y su Carnaval: Un Paraiso Cultural" or "Colombia and its Carnival: A Cultural Paradise".

The ceremony, as with the opening and the sports, will be transmitted live on the Panam Sports Channel.

On the sports side, USA once again topped the medal table with 124 golds, 75 silvers, and 87 bronze for a total of 286 medals. Brazil came in second and Mexico third.

The Parapan Ams will follow, opening on the 17th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everyone! I hope you missed me hehehe. I haven't posted in a long time here but I HAD to come here and talk about this.

It's been two days since the Pan Am Games ended in Santiago and I feel so emotional about this event. Sure, I always wanted the Pan Ams to be finally held in Santiago after so many failed attempts, but... they weren't the Olympics. Good but not great, right? And Santiago hosted the South American Games a few years ago and it was okay, but nothing spectacular.

 

But omg we, as a nation, had such a great time. I'm not sure if it was because the Pan Ams are something else (not the Olympics but close enough), because they were so well organized or just because we needed an event like this to heal after the 2019 social unrest, the pandemic and a polarized and confrontational society. I feel, after these amazing weeks, that the Pan American Games united the country and made us feel like these rough four years are gone. Who knows if this will be maintained after the Para Pan Am Games end but you can only hope.

-----

The Games itself were a joy. Most of the venues were amazing and, although the National Stadium is clearly an outdated venue, it was okay. I moved two months ago to a new apartment less than a kilometre from the National Stadium so I could even see from my balcony the rehearsals of the opening and some medal ceremonies. I walked every day last week there to see a different event and I had so much fun. The people were enjoying everything and it was amazing to see sports that you have no idea about but still be able to talk about them with a stranger next to you and support athletes you've never heard before.

On the good side, Chile clearly demonstrated that we can host big events. Besides small problems, the new venues and the city infrastructure worked perfectly. There was a great atmosphere and you could see the political support needed to make the Pan Am Games succeed. I read somewhere that approx. 1.5 million people attended the Games, three times more than in Lima 2019.

And how could anyone not mention Fiu, the mascot and star of the Games. Everyone loves Fiu now and if someone asks if he should be in our flag, it will be approved unanimously. I can't even mention how many souvenirs and collectables I bought... the only thing I can mention is that I'm seriously thinking about tattooing it myself (and I know people who have done it haha).

Obviously, not everything is perfect. The opening and closing ceremonies weren't really good... but, honestly, who really cared about them? I'm pretty sure the only country where it was broadcasted was Chile so I don't think spending a lot of money would have made any sense. And I do think we missed the opportunity to bring back some winter sports, at least as an exhibition event.

-----

Sure, after the success of Santiago 2023, a lot of people are raising the idea of applying for the 2036 Summer Olympics (even the organizing committee and the official Twitter account mentioned it) but I personally think we still have a long run before that. A new National Stadium, more modern and twice its size, is something that we need already... but besides that, I think all the current venues are appropriate for a city like Santiago. To get the Olympics we will probably need to enlarge most of those venues and they will become white elephants. And, still, I don't know if we have enough political relevance to defeat a bid from Turkey, China, India or some country in Europe.

I do think that we can start thinking bigger. I've mentioned several times the idea of the Winter Olympics and the Pan Am Games proved that we could do it for sure. It's not as expensive as the Summer Olympics and we have the city infrastructure for sure, but there are other problems for the Winter Olympics (the schedule, the lack of snow due to climate change, etc.). Another alternative could be the YOGs. Also, President Boric has confirmed that Santiago will apply to host the 2027 Special Olympics.

----

I joined this forum I think around 15 years ago. I remember I was still in school. And, if someone asked me why I joined this forum... I wouldn't have an answer. I guess just because I loved watching flags and men playing sports.

Now it is because I've never seen my city as vibrant, happy and energized as with the Pan American Games and I can't wait till I can see something like this again.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, KRATK said:

Hi everyone! I hope you missed me hehehe. I haven't posted in a long time here but I HAD to come here and talk about this.

 

You were indeed missed! Great to see you back on here after all your international travels.

Great to hear you’ve enjoyed the games and that they were so well embraced by Chile. Wish I’d been able to get some merchandise - my partner was back in Santiago last year and I’d instructed him to look for Pan-Am t-shirts and merchandise for me, but he said he’d never found any.

anyway, maybe Santiago should look to the YOGs next?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

You were indeed missed! Great to see you back on here after all your international travels.

Great to hear you’ve enjoyed the games and that they were so well embraced by Chile. Wish I’d been able to get some merchandise - my partner was back in Santiago last year and I’d instructed him to look for Pan-Am t-shirts and merchandise for me, but he said he’d never found any.

anyway, maybe Santiago should look to the YOGs next?

Thanks! :) Now I can't travel that much given I got a new job here... I moved to London for a few months and I thought I would miss the Pan Am Games so when I got that job offer I said "Well, Santiago is not London, but London doesn't have the Games" haha

They started selling merchandising in April this year... but it was a success. Everything was sold out in the online store by the first week of the Games and in the Stadium it was practically impossible to find some stuff. I think they will get new items once the Para Pan Am starts in a few days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

As is usual, the Para opening ceremony ends up being better than the non-Para opening. Still very much low key compared to Lima ofc, but a nice ceremony regardless even if part of it was a ripoff of the Tokyo 2020 handover, as many pointed out :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...