The 2023 Parapan American Games, officially the VII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Santiago 2023 Parapan-Am Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities. It celebrated the tradition of the Parapan American Games as governed by the Americas Paralympic Committee and was held from 17 to 26 November 2023 in Santiago, Chile.[1]
Santiago was unanimously acclaimed as the host city at the ANOC General Assembly in Prague on November 4, 2017.[4] This will mark the first time Chile hosts the Pan and Parapan American Games. Santiago was initially awarded the right to host the 1975 and later 1987 Pan American Games, but withdrew as host both times due to financial and political problems.[5] Most recently, Santiago was a candidate for the 2019 Parapan American Games but lost to Lima.[4]
The budget for the Games is $507 million USD, with $170 million reserved for the building of ten new sporting venues and the upgrade of six arenas.[6] The budget is about 36% of what was spent for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada and 50% of the last Pan American Games in 2019, in Lima, Peru.[7]
Various venues across Santiago and the metropolitan region will host the Games.[8]
In June 2022, organizers revealed the final plan consisting of 14 venues.[9] And all venues are located in the Santiago area, some often will be used in an exclusive way at the Games.[10]
Athletes Village
In December 2021, a ceremony was held to lay the first brick for the village. The village is expected to cost approximately $100 million USD, and will consist of 1,345 apartments.[11] After the games, the village will be converted to social housing. The village is being built in the Cerrillos Bicentennial Park community of Santiago.[12]
Global Accessibility Innovations
In a groundbreaking move worldwide, the 2023 Parapan American Games introduced AI-generated audio diplomas for visually impaired and blind athletes. Utilizing a unique 50-second recording of Julio César Ávila, President of the Americas Paralympic Committee, artificial intelligence technology was employed to create personalized audio diplomas for over 500 athletes. This innovation not only enhanced the recognition of athletes' achievements but also set a new standard for inclusivity and accessibility in international sports events.[13]
This initiative underscores the commitment of the Americas Paralympic Committee to leveraging cutting-edge technology to promote inclusivity and accessibility in sports.
The Games
Ceremonies
The opening ceremony was held on November 17, 2023, at the Estadio Nacional do Chile, while the closing ceremony was held on November 26, 2023, in Parapan-American Village, located in the Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos.
Opening ceremony
There were formal moments such as cultural presentations, a parade of delegations affiliated to Americas Paralympic Committee, welcome speeches by members of PanAm Sports and the International Paralympic Committee, in addition to the inauguration of the Parapan-American cauldron.
There were cultural presentations, a parade of flags by members of Americas Paralympic Committee, thank you speeches by members of PanAm Sports and IPC, awards to volunteers and the passing of the flag to representatives of the next headquarters, which until then would be the city of Barranquilla, containing also the presentation of figures about Colombian culture and the extinction of the Parapan-American cauldron.
Among the musical performances, the groups Santaferia, Banda Conmoción and Los Ramblers and the singers Princesa Alba and Gepe participated.
Thirty-one National Paralympic Committees will participate at the Games. Grenada made their debut appearance at the Parapan American Games. The Virgin Islands returned to participate after last competing in the 2015 edition. Suriname, which last participated in the 2019 edition, was absent.[14][15]
Following the rules of the Americas Paralympic Committee, in which a maximum of 17 sports can be part of the Games program. Thus, 378 finals were held in 16 Paralympic sports and one regional sport. Thus, the Organizing Committee chose to remove sitting volleyball for the first time on Games history from the Games program and replaced it with archery.[22] An extra edition of the Sitting Volleyball Pan American Championship was held between 9 and 13 May 2023 to define the representatives of the Americas in sport at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[23][24][25]
The Games share most of its branding with the 2023 Pan American Games, including its emblem unveiled in July 2019,[26] and its mascot Fiu—a many-colored rush tyrant—which was announced on October 16, 2021, following an online poll.[27][28]
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