With almost two years to go until the start of the Special Olympics World Games Santiago 2027, the members of the group of experts who will form the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for this major sporting event were announced this morning.
Minister of Sports, Jaime Pizarro, former Chilean tennis player, Jaime Fillol, the President of Special Olympics Chile, Carolina Picasso, Gustavo Arriagada of Special Olympics Chile, and Gonzalo Escobar, President of the Regional Council of Leading Athletes of Latin America, will work on the planning of the activity, which will be held for the first time in the southern hemisphere.
Carolina Picasso, President of Special Olympics Chile, highlighted the creation of the committee, stating that what will be achieved represents a major country-wide commitment. “This is not a legacy that only impacts Chile, but one that impacts the entire Latin American region. We have the Local Organizing Committee, the families, the athletes, everyone in general. This Road to Santiago 2027 will be a path filled with opportunities,” Picasso affirmed.
Sports Minister Jaime Pizarro commented that, “for Chile, it is a tremendous honor and, at the same time, a tremendous responsibility to host a new international event, but one that has a special component: continuing to promote sport as a tool for social change, as a space for inclusion and the transformation of lives.”
Likewise, Gonzalo Escobar, President of the Regional Athlete Leadership Council of of Latin America, stated, “I am thrilled that, for the first time in the 56 years of Special Olympics history, the next 2027 World Summer Games will be held in my country, Chile. This will be an opportunity for all Latin American countries and their athletes to shine.”
The event, held at the Mario Recordón Athletic Stadium in the National Stadium Park, was attended by UNESCO and Juan Pablo Salazar, CAF’s inclusion coordinator. Salazar signed a collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Sport a few weeks ago to promote and raise awareness about the Special Olympics World Games Santiago 2027.
