“America, thank you for trusting us to hold the Lima 2027 Pan American Games.” This discursive phrase by Renzo Manyari, president of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, invites us to go back in time, to stop at October 11, 2013, where a silent work was reflected with successes and errors, with an Olympic committee capable of challenging the great powers, to the jaguars of America and put the name of their country on the front line, compete head to head and win the venue for Lima 2019.
In this imaginary parallel in time, there appears a name recognized internationally and valued more abroad than in his own home, I am referring to José Quiñones, a grassroots leader, who made his way by walking, led the Peruvian Olympic Committee for several periods and challenged to the logic that when we dream big, giant challenges come, capable of transforming a country through sport.
These 2027 games and the previous one are intertwined: one opened the door, laid the foundations to be an engine of change, demonstrate that sport is a vehicle that does not pollute in its essence and that is capable of uniting a people in a language universal where politicians and politics for a short period are able to embrace each other under the same flag without seeking partisan benefits.
👏🇵🇪¡𝗝𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗼𝘀, 𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗼𝘀!
Nuestra ciudad fue elegida nuevamente para ser sede de los Juegos Panamericanos y Parapanamericanos 2027. Es por ello que estamos trabajando por entregar una Lima moderna, a la par de cualquier capital del mundo. pic.twitter.com/TvJg2QWzx5— Municipalidad de Lima (@MuniLima) March 16, 2024
The Lima 2027 Pan American and Parapan American Games, which Renzo Manyari rightly leads today, come to consolidate ‘The Legacy’ and many will wonder: what is ‘The Legacy’? What is it for? What benefits does it bring to society? The truth is, in these few lines it would be an unforgivable omission not to highlight the contribution of the governments in power and the strong commitment they assumed when applying for and, subsequently, awarding the games.
1.3 BILLION DOLLARS WITHOUT PRECEDENT
The investment in previous games exceeded 1.2 billion dollars with world-class sports venues and now, president Dina Boluarte, assured the economic injection of 350 million dollars for the organization and a historic figure of 1.3 billion dollars for road infrastructure. , ensuring unprecedented connectivity in Peru.
As we close this opinion column, we have one last reflection: Sometimes, we feel that our dreams are small or simply prohibitive without even trying. The invitation is to believe, to set goals, as Renzo Manyari thought and did and in his time José Quiñonez did. Sports inspire society, and the dream that these two leaders once had, too.
