Fundación Imagen de Chile, an ally of Santiago 2023, was in charge of the production of the inaugural video of the Parapan American Games, an audiovisual piece that sought to be a reflection of Chile's strength and identity. Expectation, adrenaline and desire to seek gold for Chile are some of the reactions athletes from different disciplines have had towards this new version of the games.
The flame of the cauldron of the National Stadium was rekindled to mark the start of the 2023 Parapan American Games, with an opening day that was thrilling with the presentation of the delegations of the 31 participating countries. The event highlighted the torch relay in the hands of the Chilean athletes, a moment that was captured in an audiovisual piece by the Fundación Imagen de Chile.
After months of intense training, this sporting celebration will test the 166 athletes that make up Team Para Chile. The sensations prior to this week, as recorded by the Santiago 2023 corporation, are characterized by the effort and high expectations of the athletes.
"I want these games to be successful, to fill the venues, to repeat the postcards we experienced a few weeks ago," says Juan Carlos Garrido, gold in Para powerlifting in Toronto 2015 and Lima 2019. "I want this party to start soon. I want to fight for the podium and add a medal for this team", he assures.
Meanwhile, the awarded Para sprinter Amanda Cerna, silver in 400 mts in Lima 2019, is enthusiastic about her jump to the track of the remodeled venue of the National Stadium Park, whose stands she also expects to see full of public, stressing that "I am expectant, because the fact of being here, at home, living the Games makes us have advantages, receiving the energy of the people to climb as high as possible, to be on the podium. I want everyone to come and support us, we will be waiting for you".
For Francisca Mardones, world champion in shot put, Santiago 2023 will be her last Parapan American Games, so in the midst of her preparation she made a positive assessment of her career and the evolution of Paralympic sport in the country. "Eighteen years ago I started in adapted sport. I felt that my world was expanding, that other dimensions that I didn't know existed were opening up. Sport gave me self-confidence: what for others, off the court, was a disability, for me on the court was the ability to enjoy and free myself from pain and physical problems," she said.
The Para athlete took the opportunity to motivate her teammates of Team Para Chile. "Enjoy the party, the road is already paved, now you just need to continue making history. You have the privilege of being able to compete in these local Games in front of your loved ones. Leave your nerves aside and live to the fullest that passion and adrenaline of representing an entire country, of representing our beloved Chile. Let's go all out," he said.
Inclusion as a country brand
The Pan American Village is hosting the delegations of the 31 countries participating in this new edition of the Parapan American sports festival. The complex in the Cerrillos district has 318 apartments with universal accessibility, which makes it one of the first housing complexes built with inclusive engineering and architecture in the country.
In addition to this work, the recently inaugurated Paralympic Training Center of 6,500 m2 located in the National Stadium Park was also inaugurated. Sebastián Villavicencio, President of the Chilean Paralympic Committee, indicates that "the quality and size of this center is a milestone that makes us proud. Those of us who have been part of Chilean Paralympic sport for years know how much we longed for an exclusive sports center with all the conditions for us".
The also selected wheelchair basketball player, referred to the social impact of the Games, "we always talk about two legacies, infrastructure and a more social one, where through sport we make visible people with disabilities who practice sports, can be high performance athletes, can be fathers and mothers, can study and can work," he said.
In terms of transportation, the Games will have 32 buses with accessibility features and 10 double-decker buses suitable for the transportation of people coming to the Parapan American Games. Meanwhile, the Santiago airport inaugurated a ramp capable of supporting the entry flow of at least 300 people in wheelchairs. "After these Games, part of the legacy is not only the infrastructure, not only these adaptations in public transport, but also a society better prepared for greater inclusion, to ensure conditions of universal accessibility and that finally all people, including people with disabilities, can exercise their rights," said Javiera Toro, Minister of Social Development and Family.