After the welcome speech by President Neven Ilic at the Extraordinary General Assembly held in Miami (United States) and the presentation of the Panam Sports Evaluation Committee, each city made its presentation, engaged in question and answer sessions and the voting took place. The President announced that Lima will host the Pan American Games in 2027, after Santiago in 2023.

The Assembly officially began after 9am local time, with the quorum established by the member countries via Zoom, with a speech by Chilean Neven Ilic, who highlighted that around 85% of his fellow countrymen were proud to have hosted the 2023 Pan American Games in their capital, Santiago de Chile, and emphasised the importance of the event in society.

The President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee (COP), Renzo Manyari, then took the floor to present the video of his country's bid to host the XX Pan American Games. The Prime Minister, Gustavo Adrianzén, spoke for almost 40 minutes, making strong arguments and presenting proposals and studies that led to Lima winning the bid to host the 2027 Pan American Games. Peru received strong support from the government, from President Dina Boluarte to the Prime Minister.

After Lima, it was the turn of the President of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, Camilo Pérez López Moreira, who presented a significant project involving major real estate investments. The construction of the Athletes' Village towers and major infrastructure renovations, including the airport, valued at more than $315 million (€288 million).

After the formal presentations and lengthy deliberations, Lima was chosen by secret ballot to host the 20th Pan American Games. Now Peru will must honour the $369 million (€337 million) pledged to improve the facilities in place since 2019, including expansions.

"I would like to thank both cities, both countries, for the commitment they have shown to Panama Sports," said Neven Illic, president of Panama Sports, as he announced Lima as the winning city. The Chilean highlighted the professionalism of the bids submitted and praised the support of the Paraguayan and Peruvian governments in the bidding process.

The support of the Peruvian President, Dina Boluarte, was crucial, as were the approved economic forecasts. "We have the support of the central government and a guaranteed budget for the organisation of the Lima 2027 Pan American Games because it is in line with the national sports policy," commented Carlos Zegarra, Executive Director of Legacy, marking significant differences with the ousted (due to sanctions) host Barranquilla.

The selection process

As announced by Panam Sports, the candidate cities had 40 minutes to present themselves to the Assembly through their representatives, followed by a round of questions and answers from the member countries. Peru began by presenting its capital, Lima, as the host city. It was then Paraguay's turn to present its capital, Asunción.

A total of 52 votes were then cast to determine the most suitable host city. The selection of the host city was made by secret ballot, and the winning city needed a majority of votes from the National Olympic Committees that are members of Panam Sports, present at the General Assembly, which was held via Zoom and with voting rights.

Twenty-eight votes were cast in favour of Lima, which will have the honour of hosting the most important sporting event in the Americas for the second time in its history.

Some countries have more than one vote, as the rules state that each country that has hosted a Pan American Games has two votes. The voting was done by secret ballot and the winning city needed the majority of the National Olympic Committees that are members of Panam Sports and were present at the General Assembly, which was held via Zoom and with voting rights.

When will the 2027 Pan American Games be held?

Although there is no fixed date for the opening ceremony, the president of the Peruvian committee assured that the Pan American Games could begin at any time.  

However, when questioned during the Executive Committee's Question and Answer session, he indicated that September 2027 could be the ideal date due to Lima's spring climate, avoiding the cold weather experienced in Santiago in 2023. 

Although there is no date for the opening ceremony, the president of the Peruvian Committee assured that the Games could begin at any time. When questioned during the Executive Committee's question and answer session, he said that September 2027 could be the ideal date due to Lima's spring climate, thus avoiding the cold weather experienced during Santiago 2023.

Past editions of the Pan American Games:

-Buenos Aires 1951. 

-Mexico City 1955.

-Chicago 1959. 

-Sao Paulo 1963. 

-Winnipeg 1967. 

-Cali 1971. 

-Mexico City 1975. 

-San Juan 1979. 

-Caracas 1983. 

-Indianapolis 1987. 

-Havana 1991. 

-Mar del Plata 1995. 

-Winnipeg 1999. 

-Santo Domingo 2003. 

-Rio de Janeiro 2007. 

-Guadalajara 2011. 

-Toronto 2015. 

-Lima 2019.

-Santiago 2023.

-Lima 2027.