This Friday, October 3, marked the end of the technical visit by the Panam Sports Evaluation Commission to the facilities in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói for the 2031 Pan American Games. The members flew over the Rio-Niterói bridge, visited Caminho Niemeyer and the Acoustic Shell, site of the future Niterói Arena, ending the tour at the iconic Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC).
During the three days of evaluation, representatives of the highest Olympic sports authority in the Americas toured the five regions planned for the Games (Barra, Deodoro, Porto Maravilha, Copacabana, and Niterói), seeing in detail the planning for the two cities’ bids. The organization left Panam Sports President Neven Ilic “impressed.”
“One of the things I want to highlight is the legacy left by the 2007 Pan American Games and the 2016 Olympic Games. We are very impressed with how they have been maintained, how each of the large facilities that were built are being used and reused. We visited places that have been transformed into schools and community spaces. This is the great lesson we have to learn as organizations. How to convert the large investment in hosting the Games into benefits for young people,” said the representative.
The choice of the host city for the 2031 Pan American Games will take place on the 10th in Santiago, Chile. All 41 National Olympic Committees of the Americas will vote in a General Assembly for the joint candidacy of Rio and Niterói or for the city of Asunción, Paraguay, as the venue for the continental competition six years from now.