The Special Olympics World Games will be held in the southern hemisphere for the first time. At the office of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, United States, it was made official that Chile will host in 2027, marking history as the first time that the mega event has taken place in Latin America in its 55 years. More than 6,500 athletes from 22 disciplines will gather in Santiago, the capital of the South American country.
The news was received with emotion at the Special Olympics offices in both Chile and Latin America. “It has been very significant that this announcement has been made at the home of the OAS. Receiving us and opening the doors is a very strong message to the region; and that Chile is leading this movement is a tremendous source of pride”, commented Carolina Picasso, President of Special Olympics Chile in the Hola Deportes program on Canal CDO, minutes after the announcement.
Along the same lines, Claudia Echeverry, President and Regional Director for Latin America, highlighted the position of the Government of Chile regarding the support committed to holding the Games. “It is a dream come true, we are committed and starting the work to ensure that this event is historic in our Latin American region”, he expressed to the aforementioned program.
In Chile, the news was announced on social networks by the Minister of Sports Jaime Pizarro, together with President Gabriel Boric in a call in which they made official the decision made unanimously by Special Olympics. “We are very happy and proud to announce that Chile will once again host a top-level sporting event”, published the highest Chilean authority. “We will work from today to achieve a historic celebration of inclusion and sport that leaves a legacy of universal accessibility for our athletes, just as we did with Santiago 2023″. added the president.
Junto al ministro , estamos muy contentos y orgullosos de anunciar que Chile albergará nuevamente un evento deportivo de primer nivel. Se trata de los Juegos Mundiales de Olimpiadas Especiales Santiago 2027 que ya son una realidad.
Trabajaremos desde hoy para lograr una fiesta… pic.twitter.com/0W6JlQ29xw— Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) April 24, 2024
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Claudia Echeverry, who has been linked to Special Olympics for 20 years, valued the opportunities that the World Games can create and their impact in Latin America. “It is a very diverse region, also with a lot of disparity in terms of accessibility and rights of people with intellectual disabilities. We see in these Games a unique opportunity to be able to promote and make visible all those shortcomings and challenges that these people and their families have in Latin America in terms of accessibility and not just sport”, mentioned the regional director.
It will be three years of work to organize the Games, during which time the challenge will be to work to achieve a more inclusive and empathetic society. In the words of Echeverry: “They are going to be the celebration of what we have achieved as Latin Americans in these years, ensuring that we are going to have a more inclusive society, with rulers, opinion leaders and those who take definitive actions do so on policies and rules so that people with disabilities do not have to demand their rights, but rather could live them like any citizen of our region”.
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“We are happy to have this opportunity to promote the opportunities that can be provided to people with intellectual disabilities when we see them from their capacity and dignity as individuals”, concluded the director of the Special Olympics office for Latin America.
THE CHALLENGE OF CHILE
The Andean country will once again host a mega event after what was done in 2023 with the Pan American and Parapan American Games. The evaluation of what was experienced in Santiago was positive, both in the response of the public and in terms of the infrastructure that was left as a legacy for Chilean sport. “We have shown the world our seriousness and ability to organize international events”, said Jaime Pizarro, Minister of Sports and leader of the Chilean bid for the Special Olympics World Games.
“It’s not just about winning, but about the impact that sport generates on people”, said Carolina Picasso of Special Olympics Chile. “The work began long before the news was confirmed. The commitment is there and we are going to have to intensify it to move forward quickly”, she added.
The promotion of sport in people with intellectual disabilities and the work for a unified sport will be one of the focuses on which work is being done internally in Chile ahead of the Games. “There is a very nice job coming up of touring the country, the 16 regions, to promote a sport where boys and girls, adults, with and without disabilities will be training and competing together. We invite all public and private entities to join in, join together to make this path successful”, concluded Carolina Picasso.
The application presented by Chile proposed that the event take place between October 16 and 24, 2027. However, confirmation of the exact date is waiting to know when the Pan American Games in Lima will take place, in the same year as the historic first Special Olympics World Games based in Latin America.
