During this day, the Santiago 2023 Organizing Committee announced the sports program of the VII edition of the Parapan American Games, which includes a total of 18 disciplines and 17 Para sports.
Although the number is the same as the Lima 2019 edition, some Para sports were modified and one of the most anticipated was included again on the list: Para archery.
In addition to this, the sports program includes: Para athletics, Para badminton, wheelchair basketball, boccia, Para cycling (track and road), PC football, blind football, goalball, judo, Para swimming, Para powerlifting, wheelchair rugby, Para taekwondo, Para table tennis, wheelchair tennis and Shooting Para Sport.
The executive director of Santiago 2023, Felipe De Pablo, declared that he was satisfied with the sports program and assured that the event will be “a wonderful show that will enhance all the capabilities of those who come to fight for a medal. Athletes are, and will always be the heart of our Games ”.
For his part, the president of the Paralympic Committee of the Americas (APC), Julio César Ávila congratulated the Para athletes of the confirmed sports and declared that “The 17 Para sports selected give us confidence in a robust Games program, which reflects the most popular Para sports with great technical and sporting development in our region "
The Paralympic movement has seen tremendous growth globally and continentally in the last two decades. In the first edition of the Parapan American Games, held in Mexico City in 1999, around a thousand athletes from 18 countries participated in only 4 Para sports.
That same year it was stipulated that the American Games would serve as a qualifying phase for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, which fueled the growth of Paralympic sport.
In this way, the second edition of Mar del Plata 2003 had the participation of 1,500 athletes from 28 countries in 9 Para sports, 5 more than in the previous edition. Thus, the number of Para sports increased exponentially as the years went by.
In 2007, Rio de Janeiro became the host city for the two continental events for the first time, which marked a before and after in the massiveness and scope of the Games in the region.
The last edition of Lima 2019 was the largest in the history of the Games. 1,800 Para athletes from 30 countries participated in 17 Para sports, showing that the growth is undeniable, and most importantly, with a record 170,000 spectators in the competition venues.
Santiago 2023 hopes to exceed that number of attendees, in order to show, recognize and promote the Paralympic movement in our country and to show the community that Para athletes are also high-performance athletes and that in their day-to-day work, inclusion, determination, perseverance and courage are values that are always present.
