One of the continent’s most iconic sports symbols is ready to unite the Americas once again following the traditional Pan American Flame Lighting Ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico.
The Pan American Flame will now fly on the Official Plane of Santiago 2023 provided by Latam Airlines as Chilean President Gabriel Boric waits for its arrival in the capital of Santiago.
The Pan American Flame burns brightly once more as the continent’s greatest athletes prepare to arrive in Santiago, Chile in pursuit of gold medal and glory at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
The beautiful ceremony to ignite the Pan American Flame was held at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico. Each of the previous 18 editions of the Games have ignited a flame that symbolizes the burning passion for sport in the Americas. While the location of the ceremony has moved from Greece to Brasilia to Mexico’s Cerro de la Estrella, since 1995 the ceremony has been held in the heart of the ancient Aztec empire of Teotihuacan.
The ceremony featured the presence of the continent’s top sport leaders and great athletes from Chile and Mexico, as well as performances inspired by ancestral traditions with more than 120 artists and the flag parade of each of the participating countries in the Games.
“The ceremony to light the Pan American Flame was absolutely beautiful. It fills me with pride to see this symbol of the brotherhood we share in the Americas ignited once again. It signifies that the process that began many years ago to deliver the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games is nearly complete. The Flame will soon arrive in Santiago where it will inspire the entire country to strive for greatness,” said Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.
Team Panam Sports Ambassador and Olympic Diving Medalist Alejandra Orozco, Rowing Olympic Qualifier and captain of Team Chile Melita Abraham, and Pan American Games Medalist from Chile Tomas Gonzalez also attended the ceremony on behalf of the athletes of the Americas.
“Being here today in my country and this pre-hispanic site and knowing that the Pan American Flame will be transported to Chile is a magical moment for me because it will also illuminate the dreams of thousands of athletes. With the flame that was ignited today, I invite everyone to ignite the flame that millions have in their hearts to unite this great festival of the Americas,” said Orozco.
Now, the Pan American Flame will be flown tonight to Santiago on the Official Plane of the Games provided by Latam Airlines before being received by Chilean President Gabriel Boric.
The ceremony will be held on Saturday at 7:30pm at the Cerro Santa Lucia located in the heart of the Chilean capital, where Panam Sports President Neven Ilic will officially deliver the Pan American Flame to President Boric. There, the Pan American Flame will ignite three torches, with one torch traveling to the north of the country, one to the south and the third to the Isla de Pascua. The torches will visit a variety of cities and regions in Chile before returning to Santiago at Chile’s National Stadium on October 20.
The lighting ceremony in Teotihuacan not only signifies the return of the Pan American Games, but also that the years of planning and preparation by the Host City and the best athletes of the Americas are over and it’s finally time to experience this great sports celebration.
“I am very happy to have lived this experience and that there are just a little more than 20 days left until we welcome the delegations so that they can begin this sports showcase featuring such talent and admiration. And for our country in particular, it makes us proud to be able to cheer on our athletes but to also admire, recognize and value the fact that we will have so many countries and delegations in our country,” said Santiago 2023 President and Chilean Sports Minister, Jaime Pizarro.
For the first time in history, the Pan American Flame Lighting Ceremony was broadcast live throughout the world on the Panam Sports Channel. This marks the beginning of the unprecedented and historic coverage that Panam Sports Channel will provide throughout Santiago 2023, including nine simultaneous live signals every day and more than 1,500 hours of live sport.
Just 21 days remain until the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games finally begin. Three weeks full of excitement, inspiration and anticipation as the Torch Relay illuminates Chile.
Source : Panam Sports
