Final speech by President Gustavo Petro

Two years ago, during the tenure of Ivan Duque, it was announced to more than 40 countries in the Americas that Colombia will host the Pan American Games, which will take place in Barranquilla (Atlantico) between October 22 and November 7, 2027.

Although there are still four years left for these sporting events, the outlook is not clear and Colombia could breach the contract signed with Panam Sports.

About 9,000 athletes from 40 countries are expected in the country for these three weeks of competition, which will also host the Parapan American Games. But since the announcement until now, various situations have occurred that have weakened the global economy, and the problem at this time is to obtain 400 million dollars to make the mathematical commitment viable.

The Minister of Sports, Astrid Rodriguez, revealed this figure in a debate in the House of Representatives, and also made it clear that funding sources are being sought to obtain the necessary resources. 70% of this clause must be appropriated by the national government and the remainder is divided between the office of the Mayor of Barranquilla and the office of the Governor of Atlantico.

According to the minister, President Gustavo Petro is ready to finance the Games, but money is the central issue and an analysis must be made of which sports venues should be repaired and which ones should be built. Rodriguez is honest and says that everything remains in the hands of the president. “We don’t have a deadline. We have set a tight schedule for the duels, but Chief Petro is the one who makes the decision.”

However, some sectors consider that the government’s delay in allocating resources could be a political expense because the elections are still only a few months away and the Petro will not be in the Nariño Council in 2027.

said Senator Mauricio Gomez Amin of the Liberal Party week that he had clear information about President Petro’s hesitation in this matter and that “one day he says there will be games and the next day there won’t be.”

What the congressman is worried about is that there is an obligation from the state and outside of the economic sanctions that might ensue for breach of contract, Colombia could be mathematically penalized and left out of international competitions for a period of time. “The gravity of the country is at stake because getting the venue has never been easy. The government needs to be reminded that these Games do not belong to Char, nor do they belong to Elsa Noguera or anyone from politics. It is the Colombian and Caribbean Games, so hopefully they will solve the problem.”

Gomez-Amin refuses to believe that politics is mixed into a purely mathematical matter, but the versions that indicate this are growing every time. In any case, President Petro has said on various occasions that tourism must increase, so that the international game show is the best scenario for Colombia.

“The investment made will recover further. Colombia’s image in front of the world will be positive, the infrastructure is improving and there are still youth stages and other competitions.”

The Barranquilla mayor’s office, along with the Atlantico governor’s office, the Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports are working on reviewing the budget for the games. The head of Panam Sports was in town and in July several budget lines were amended to improve the terms of the commitments.

In addition, the delivery of the Socio-Economic Impact Report is still pending, which, in partnership between the Barranquilla Mayor’s Office and the United Kingdom, will be delivered in September, through the company 4global, to measure the impact of games in the city, region and country.

Apart from political discussions, there is no doubt that the Pan American Games will be a springboard for many high-level athletes who will come to Barranquilla in search of a venue for the Olympic Games, which will be held in 2028, in Los Angeles (USA).

The fact is that the organization, construction, adaptation and logistics of games of this level take several years, and if President Petro does not make a decision soon, Colombia will feel embarrassed in Latin America.