LIMA 2019 DELIVERS PAN AMERICAN AND PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES BALANCE AT PERUVIAN CONGRESS

The successful organization of the Pan American and Parapan American Games in Peru will leave a series of benefits for the country in many aspects. One of them is the economic legacy, whose impact will amount to PEN 5200 million, according to Carlos Neuhaus, President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee. Neuhaus gave a presentation before the Education, Youth and Sports Commission of the Peruvian Congress.

Neuhaus attended the meeting of the Congress working group in order to deliver the balance of the successful organization of Lima 2019, recognized as the best Games in the history of the Americas by international organizations such as Panam Sports and the International Paralympic Committee.

The President of COPAL highlighted, among the benefits of hosting the Lima 2019 Games in Peru, the economic impact of PEN 5200 million. Out of this amount, 1800 million soles will be generated in 2019. Neuhaus also stated that Lima 2019 created 500,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.

Neuhaus added that Lima 2019 broke all the attendance records in the history of the Pan American and Parapan American Games. There were 587,000 people at the competitions and ceremonies of the Pan American Games. The Parapan American Games had over 170,000 attendees.

Among other Games figures, Neuhaus stressed that there were 1109 hours of TV broadcast, through 40 networks at the Pan American Games and 15 at the Parapan American Games. “Only in Peru and Brazil, an audience of 140 million viewers has been estimated. Overall, 400 million people watched the ceremonies and competitions in many countries around the world,” he said.

Regarding the media impact, the President of the Organizing Committee assured that 80,000 news articles about the Games were published worldwide, with a value that reached USD 1086 million. USD 933 million from the total is for the Pan American Games and USD 153 million for the Parapan American Games.

Neuhaus pointed out that the organization and execution budget, which amounted to PEN 4200 million, was lower than the amount originally set. “To achieve this, we optimized resources. We reduced the number of towers in the Pan American and Parapan American Village from 39 to 7, and one Sports Center, to keep within the budget. In the end, the amount of money invested was smaller,” he said.

In the presentation, it was mentioned that 36,460 trips were made during the Games to transport athletes, technical officials and judges. “Everybody respected the Pan American Lane. Therefore, we must congratulate the people of Lima. No athlete was late for a competition,” said Neuhaus.

REASONS FOR SUCCESS

Carlos Neuhaus also spoke of the reasons for the success of the Lima 2019 Games, and stated that it was based on “teamwork, the people's commitment to support the organization and the participation at all levels, reflecting the “Let’s All Play” slogan.

He also acknowledged the support of the Peruvian Armed Forces and the National Police since the lighting of the Torch. He also highlighted the Concurrent Control system developed by the Comptroller General of the Republic, “identifying the signs of risk and acting to continue promoting the infrastructure works.”

The president of COPAL also mentioned the Games legacy, and said that the organization is working on sustainable plans for the sports infrastructure built and remodeled for Lima 2019.

Likewise, the Government-to-government Agreement with the United Kingdom was highlighted. The legacy of this agreement will be the new public management models such as the NEC Contract or the PMO, which accelerate construction processes.