Chile, currently hosting the Pan American Games in Santiago, will apply for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games as a first step towards a possible staging of the Summer Olympics, its President Gabriel Boric has said.
Asked in the wake of Chile earning a bronze medal in the men’s beach volleyball, whether the country would be capable, Boric replied: “We are going to start applying for the Paralympic World Championship that will be in 2027.
“We are going to send the application letter soon, we are looking at it with the Minister and the Undersecretary of Sports.”
The sporting event to which Boric was referring, the Special Olympics World Summer Games, is a global event that takes place every four years and always one year before the Paralympic Games.
“Little by little we are moving forward, but we want to dream,” Boric added.
“We want to dream high.
“What I have told the athletes is that when the lights go out at the Pan American Games, we as a Government and State have to continue supporting them, not just when we are at this party.”
Following a visit to Santiago during this year’s Pan American Games International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach praised the venues and facilities, and encouraged organisers to consider a bid to host “the Olympic Games or other events of this nature.”
Boric has already visited different Santiago 2023 competitions, such as swimming at the Aquatic Sports Centre, volleyball at the Parque O’Higgins Arena and basketball at Sports Center 1.
But his trip to the beach volleyball finals in Peñalolén Park turned out to be special as thousands of home fans in the stands acclaimed the bronze medal match victory of the Grimalt cousins, Marco and Esteban, who have played together for a decade.
The Head of State enjoyed the match with several authorities, including the Minister secretary general of the Government Camila Vallejo, the Minister of Sports Jaime Pizarro, the Undersecretary of Sports Antonia Illanes, the Governor of the Metropolitan Region Claudio Orrego, the President of the Chilean Olympic Committee Miguel Ángel Mujica, and Harold Mayne-Nicholls, executive director of Santiago 2023.
Commenting on the home bronze medallists, Boric said: “They have an incredible career and are a source of pride for Chile.”
Source : Inside The Games
