In the midst of the start of the Baby Fútbol sports tournament in Medellín, the mayor of the capital of Antioquia, Federico Gutiérrez, expressed his regret at the news of Colombia’s loss of the venue for the 2027 Pan American Games. The mayor regretted the effort of so many years to make Medellín the venue for these games, indicating that “it was gone, it disappeared due to laziness or inefficiency.”
Likewise, the mayor attacked the national government, insinuating that President Gustavo Petro and his cabinet had allowed the renowned sporting event to be lost as a sign of their discontent with the country.
“For so many years, all the effort for Medellín to be the venue for these games in 2027, and that just happened, it disappeared due to laziness or inefficiency. I don’t know what else can be said or if it’s hatred against the regions, I haven’t even been able to understand what that is, but the whole country has to be very sad.”
Gutiérrez extended his solidarity to the inhabitants of Barranquilla, whose city was going to host this important sporting event. “It makes me very sad as a Colombian, I also stand in solidarity with the people of Barranquilla, I also stand in solidarity with all the athletes because this is a very important event,” he added.
The president highlighted the seriousness of the situation for Colombia’s international reputation in the sports field. “One cannot stop saying how sad it is that they lost the 2027 games; one can imagine the credibility of the country before any international sports organization or any other activity. “Colombia loses seriousness in the face of these events, this has never happened,” said Gutiérrez.
Despite the disappointment of losing the venue, the new mayor promised that the district administration will seek more sports competitions for Medellín and that they will support other cities that aspire to be venues. “This is not about envy or looking at who is doing better than the other. When another city hosts something, we will be from Medellín supporting it,” he stressed.
However, the mayor assured that the loss of the 2027 Pan American Games venue has significant consequences for Colombia. The Pan American Sports Organization withdrew the privilege from Barranquilla due to non-payment, which will affect the country’s visibility at a continental and global level. In addition, he anticipated an economic loss due to the absence of visitors and tourists who usually come to support the participating delegations.
Gustavo Petro will try to recover the headquarters of the 2027 Pan American Games
President Gustavo Petro has called an emergency meeting on January 9, 2024 to discuss the possibility of Barranquilla recovering the venue for the 2027 Pan American Games, following its withdrawal by Panam Sports due to financial defaults by the State.
The withdrawal of the headquarters by Panam Sports occurred after not receiving two stipulated payments, one in December 2023 and another in January 2024, totaling 8 million dollars. Despite the declaration of the Mayor of Barranquilla about having fulfilled its part of the contract, the national government did not make the second payment. Neven Ilic, head of Panam Sports, then decided to cancel the contract.
The urgent summit is presented as the last opportunity to reverse the decision and will feature key figures such as the governor of Atlántico, Eduardo Verano de la Rosa, the mayor of Barranquilla, Alejandro Char, and other government and national sports representatives. The meeting, scheduled for 8:00 am at the Casa de Nariño, will be chaired by Laura Sarabia, director of the Social Prosperity department.
The main purpose is to present a new proposal to Panam Sports so that Barranquilla can resume its place as the venue for the sporting event. Ciro Solano, president of the Colombian Olympic Committee (COC), stressed the Government’s commitment despite the “poor prospects for success.” The negotiation also has the support of Luis Alberto Moreno, of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), marking the seriousness of the matter. With Infobae