Carlos Neuhaus, President of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games Organizing Committee (COPAL), said 60% of all sports facilities are ready to welcome the 41 delegations participating in the major sporting event in the Americas.
"More than 60% of the venues are built. Videna (Peru's National Sports Village) houses four sports centers and an athletics track, which has to be changed; we just need a roof over the cycle track. An aquatics stadium has to be built, but we have time for that. The Pan Am village will be ready by January 2019,” Neuhaus told Exitosa, a local radio station in Lima.
COPAL head gave three examples of countries that were in trouble but recovered in time to hold major international events.
"London hosted the Olympic Games in 1948, after a heavy destruction during the war. By 1962, Chile had recovered from the greatest earthquake of all time and delivered a successful World Cup. In 1986, 6 months before the World Cup, Mexico was struck by an earthquake and hosted a great event. We have to be clear on this issue and avoid mixing things up. The emergency is today, but the Pan American Games will take place in 2019," he added.
(END) NDP/JAM/RMB
Published: 3/31/2017