In a relaxed atmosphere, we had a pleasant 45-minute chat with Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who has been hailed as the "saviour" of the 2023 Pan American Games. He has been called upon to organise the first Games featuring the best athletes from the Americas.

"Could the success of the 2023 Pan American Games have been a push to dream of organising the Olympic Games?" was my first question, to which he replied with an anecdote about the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)."

"Last year, Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, came to Santiago. He stayed for four days and, apart from praising the excellent food in the village, he said something that surprised us all and gave us important support for an event that was just starting," said the Santiago 2023 CEO.

"Chile is in a position to bid for bigger events' was his exact phrase, and as you know, after the Pan American Games there's only one major event - the Olympic Games. He clearly told us to go for something bigger."

When asked how the conversation with Bach went, Harold detailed, "I remember very well that he specifically said that his advice was that once we had successfully completed these Games, we should begin to set our sights on the next level, which could include the Olympic Games or other events of that calibre. Those were his (Bach's) words."

"Obviously it was a huge boost for us. The Pan American Games had just started when that was said. His statement was important, but so was the encouragement he gave us to continue to develop the Games in the best possible way."

Naturally, such strong words from the IOC's top official did not go unheeded. Chile's president, Gabriel Boric, echoed them. "We accepted the challenge," he said. That was the starting point for the dream of Santiago 2036.

The experienced sports director, best known for his involvement in Chilean football, added: "While we are finalising the administrative and financial aspects of Santiago 2023, we have started to work a little on the Santiago 2036 project. Neven Ilic, president of Pan Am Sports, had a meeting in Lausanne and brought us everything that the IOC requires for the organisation, including manuals and all the contracts and requirements for the Olympic series. We are working on it, preparing a document.

He added: "We are analysing our capabilities and what we need, although we do not foresee any major problems in hosting the Olympic Games. We can certainly bid.", he added.

Drawing on his extensive experience with FIFA, he added: "We don't see any operational or logistical problems. Of course, some infrastructure will have to be built, including another village, but based on the model used for this village - a public-private partnership - we have twelve years, which is plenty of time not to have to 'save goals at the last minute' as we did for Santiago 2023, when I was called in at the 11th hour to 'save the team from relegation and surprise everyone by playing in the Libertadores final', as I described my role using a football metaphor commonly understood in South America.

This dream has not only remained in the documents and aspirations of Mayne-Nicholls, Neven Ilic and other sports officials. The Chilean presidency itself has instructed the Minister of Sport to study the possibility of the capital hosting the 36th modern Olympic Games.

Currently, Chile's Minister of Sports, Jaime Pizarro, together with the Chilean Olympic Committee, is analysing and developing the work plan and discussing the feasibility with the IOC, as confirmed by Harold.

President Gabriel Boric confirmed the nation's interest in the Games during a public speech on the final day of sports. "I have asked Minister Pizarro to gather all the necessary information to understand what it means to bid for the 2036 Games, so that the Olympic Games can be held in Chile," said the president, who will take office on 11 March 2022.

The next question was whether Chile was close or far from meeting the IOC's requirements for bidding and hosting the Olympic Games, and the experienced football executive (he was president of the Chilean Football Association) was not afraid to answer.

"The infrastructure is in excellent condition. We have a first-class airport. Given that we have hosted games with a number of athletes, similar to the Olympic Games, we do not see this as a problem. Of course, some improvements will be made, but they will be minor. If we host the Games, we will probably look at extending the metro to the venue (currently it is only accessible by bus)".

Regarding accommodation, a critical issue for events of this magnitude, the executive assured that the current hotel capacity is sufficient to meet needs, as is transport. "During the last Games, the metro ran from the Olympic Village to the National Stadium. Ninety-five percent of the athletes used it for transportation during the Pan American Games. Buses were only used if an athlete was late. It worked perfectly and was also environmentally friendly."

Naturally, the economic aspect was also raised in this exclusive interview with Inside The Games. Harold replied that the Chilean economy is relatively stable in the region, with a financial system that is open to the world. Public funding is complemented by private investment, which provides greater security for the future.

"We are doing things that do not depend on a single government. Events of this magnitude span several administrations and require significant coordination. For us, it is a matter of state, not just of government," said the important Chilean official, who will be 62 in July.

"As far as sport is concerned, we have a law with tax incentives that encourage investment. This law will support the FIFA U-20 South American Championship, the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games, all within this legal framework, which could also be used for the 2036 or 2040 Games if we are not awarded the first bid," he told Inside The Games.

In terms of sports infrastructure, while Santiago and Chile in general have high-quality stadiums and arenas, they will not be sufficient for a Summer Olympics. "We may need to build an additional arena and stadium, maybe increase the capacity and technology of the existing ones, but these are not major projects. We have pools, arenas and stadiums all over the country and in Santiago itself.

Although he admits that this is only a preliminary stage, he does not hide his excitement at the prospect of hosting the second Olympic Games in South America's history. 

In fact, during the exclusive interview with Inside The Games, he expressed his dream of taking the Games to the mythical Easter Island (Rapa Nui), similar to what Paris 2024 did with Tahiti for the surfing events, but with triathlon or surfing events in Pichilemu.

He went one step further and suggested that the Games be held in October instead of July or August to avoid the European heat and the South American cold, which would allow athletes to compete in ideal temperatures (between 20 and 25 degrees).

The pleasant conversation, which touched on various Olympic themes, gradually faded away, in contrast to the Olympic flame that has been rekindled not only in the Chilean official, but also in the entire nation, located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, which proudly broke all attendance records during the Pan American Games in 2023 and dreams of making history by hosting the world's most important sporting event.