This week the XIX. Pan American Games Santiago 2023 and the VII Parapan American Games. Chile is proud to host these Games for the first time, which represent the largest sporting festival that we as a country have had to organize in our history.
The legacy that Santiago will leave in 2023 will be important and will benefit all of society. As President, I have always believed in the enormous health benefits of exercise. for the formation of values of improvement, for companionship and also as a constitutive element of citizenship. For this reason, in 2017, during my second administration, we decided to apply to host the Pan American and Parapan American Games and thought about positioning our country as a venue for international events with all that entails; Promote the practice of sports and create an infrastructure that can be used by Chilean families. That same year, we were unanimously selected as our headquarters for 2023.
This work began more than six years ago, it has gone through three governments, so it was a state policy, and today it is up to President Gabriel Boric, together with his ministers, to lead it.
It is an important task. More than 9,000 athletes will compete in 39 Pan-American and 17 para-Pan-American sports in 22 municipalities in the Metropolitan, Valparaíso, O’Higgins and Biobío regions. With this, our country will realize the dream of hosting a mega multi-sport event of this magnitude with the highest international standards and with the 41 states of America, so that it will also be a celebration of diversity and encounter between cultures. Just like the 1962 World Cup, we will make history and the eyes of the world will be on Chile these days.
Without a doubt, as a country we want sports to continue to grow in our country, to be accessible to everyone and to fill us with joy and celebration; and hopefully encourage many others to engage in physical activity and feel this spirit of improvement. After difficult years, sport offers us the opportunity to come closer and share; And at these Games we can proudly cheer on our 664 athletes and see how they dedicate themselves fully to their disciplines, to our flag and to our sportsmanship.
Among other things, popular sport enables us to appropriate and exploit public space. More than a million people and almost 100,000 visitors are expected in our country for this sporting event. This is a great opportunity to stimulate our economy and activate the tourism, hotel and catering sectors. It will also be a contribution to the image of our country.
In the current context of the climate crisis, sustainability had to be present: Santiago 2023 will be the first sporting event of this magnitude to achieve carbon neutrality in Chile and 80% of the plastic waste generated will be recycled.
Sport is not only an expression of our vitality and passion, but also a bridge that connects communities, generations and cultures. By running on the same route, playing on the same team, or cheering for a group, we remind ourselves that we belong to a community, that we have common values, and that we share common goals.
A few years ago we as a country set ourselves the goal of organizing and developing these Games and we are already achieving it, after the work of three governments. The legacy that Santiago 2023 will leave us should be a source of pride for Chileans. In every game played, in every goal achieved, we see the principles of democracy in action: collective effort, justice, respect and, above all, unity. Through sport, we celebrate our diversity, strengthen social cohesion and create a stronger, more united and resilient Chile for all.
Michelle Bachelet She is a former president of Chile and a columnist for EL PAÍS