At 8 o'clock in the morning of Thursday, August 23rd, the Ñuñoa subway station, where you can transfer between the subway network modern lines 3 and 6 , it’s busier than usual. A multicolored figure stands out among the crowd: it's Fiu, the official mascot of the Santiago 2023 Games.
The many-colored bird is the main protagonist behind the agreement signed by the Santiago 2023 Corporation and Metro de Santiago, an agreement that seeks, among other things, to dress the city as part of the multisport event next October and November.
Fiu’s figure is beginning to be seen in the stations of the subway network, which during the last year transported more than 40 million Santiago residents, becoming the most used means of public transportation in the capital city.
BIP! cards inspired by the many-colored bird, trains and stations with colors and figures alluding to the Pan American and Parapan American Games, sports exhibitions throughout the network, and sports broadcasts on Metro TV screens.
All of this and more is contemplated in this important agreement between the two institutions. Guillermo Muñoz, Chairman of Metro's Board of Directors; Jaime Pizarro, the Sports Minister; and Harold Mayne-Nicholls, Santiago 2023 Chief Executive Officer, were in charge of announcing the details of the agreement.
Fiu will be present in the subway system. (Picture: Santiago 2023).
“PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WILL HELP US TO REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE CITY”
The importance of the Metro network in the daily life of Santiago residents will be even more significant during the Pan American and Parapan American Games. This was highlighted by Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who emphasized the need to organize the city's transportation for the event.
“Public transportation is important to reduce traffic congestion in the city. We’ll have 100 thousand visitors, plus athletes, and we’ll use segregated streets for the exclusive transit of vehicles for the Games, which forces us to take measures to encourage the use of public transportation and thus avoid problems for users,” said the CEO.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Metro's Board of Directors, Guillermo Muñoz, showed his full commitment to the realization of this multisport event and commented that “it fills us with satisfaction to collaborate for these Games to be carried out in an incredible way. We have prepared an operational plan that will allow all sports delegations transportation on Line 6 from the Cerrillos station to the Estadio Nacional on the opening day.”
The Sports Minister, Jaime Pizarro, valued the intersectoral collaboration that resulted in this agreement, adding that “we appreciate the contribution they’ve made by creating these themed-BIP! cards, which, as the Metro's Chairman said, will be available from September so that users can have them. It’s a contribution to the visibility, execution, and attendance of all our community to the Santiago 2023 Games.”
The Metro network will play a fundamental role during the multisport event, allowing fans to reach most of the sports precincts, including the Estadio Nacional, the heart of the Santiago 2023 competitions.
Written by: Carlos Ramírez Salazar.
