Aside from the opportunity to cover the best of world sport for a highly-respected media outlet, travel was one of the main attractions of the job. The role has more than lived up to expectations.

The past 10 weeks have been spent in Turin, Monte Carlo, Marseille, Minsk, Naples and now Lima, with my parents often having to rely on social media to be certain of my whereabouts. Maybe the headline “Around the World in 80 Days” would have been more fitting.

The majority of my time was spent in two cities, however, with my travels allowing me the rare opportunity to cover and therefore directly compare two continental Games.  

The first was the European Games, taking place in the Belarusian capital of Minsk from June 21 to 30. Then, 7,478 miles away, the Pan American Games began in Lima on July 26, set to come to a conclusion on Sunday (August 11).

Each city is strikingly different. Minsk is tidy and modern, spotlessly clean with wide and ordered roads. Lima, on the other hand, is sprawling and chaotic, shrouded in a damp grey mist that heavy traffic winds its way through.

The sporting events which each city has welcomed this summer are also contrasting.

The European Games are in their infancy, with Minsk hosting only the second edition of the competition. It is still very much searching for its identity, having been flung into an already saturated European sporting calendar.

Meanwhile, the Pan American Games have a history stretching back to 1951, when the event was first held in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires.

Despite this, there are a number of similarities between the two. For instance, both competitions seem to be fighting a battle for relevancy.

I wonder how many of those in Europe were aware of the Games in Minsk. Certainly, back in the United Kingdom, few even knew of its existence, let alone watched it on TV. Big sporting names were also noticeably lacking.  

Of course, this can be put down to the fact that the European Games are a new concept. There has not yet been time to develop significant interest in the event.

The Pan American Games face the same issue, however, despite its heritage. There is no doubt that those in the region care about the competition. The South American media here, of which there are many, have been incredibly passionate in the press centre, with random cheers and bursts of applause not infrequent as they follow the action throughout the day. 

Coverage has reportedly been lacking in the United States and Canada, though. It is not all about these two countries, of course, but the point of the Pan American Games is to include all nations across the two continents.

Like the European Games, the event has lacked star power. There are top athletes here, but most are using the competition as a warm-up for greater events.

Reigning 100 metre Olympic champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica was present in Lima, but switched from the 200m to 100m at the last minute.

“I have trained for both events and I want to win both at the worlds, so this gives me a chance to work on my speed,” Thompson said after easing to a gold medal and celebrating with a display of nonchalance.

Her comments in the immediate aftermath of the race showed that the Pan American Games were, for Thompson, essentially a training exercise for next month’s International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships.

This attitude towards the event is not ideal if the Pan American Games want to be viewed as a prestigious competition in its own right.

Instead, the most attractive feature of both the European and Pan American Games for athletes is likely to be the chance to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In Minsk, eight sports contributed in some capacity towards Olympic qualification, with 14 doing the same here in Lima.

This is undeniably the best way to entice top-quality athletes, and subsequently maintain relevance in the sporting world.

Both Games must strike a balance with this, however. Offering places for Tokyo 2020 makes competition more exciting and competitive, but they can’t be defined by this and be seen simply as an Olympic qualifier or a warm-up event.

Having covered both, it seems that the Pan American Games has a better chance of sustaining its place in the sporting calendar. Aside from its historical roots, the competition is incredibly important to the region and host country.

Peru's sporting history is not exactly prolific, having accumulated only four Olympic medals in total. Lima 2019 organisers will be hoping that the Games will provide a boost to sport in the country.

Aside from inspiring spectators and creating a new generation of athletes, Peru now has world-class facilities which they previously lacked. They will aim to host more local and international sporting events in the future. All of this should pay dividends in the development of sport not just in Peru, but also the Americas.

“We have a golden generation with investment for the future," Lima 2019 director general Alberto Valenzuela said during a press conference. 

“This legacy will be for the younger generation.

“There is infrastructure that will benefit our athletes and across the Americas.

“We are proud of planting the small seed, which will speed up the development of the next generation of athletes.”

This is a positive and sustainable reason for holding a sporting event. 

Meanwhile, the European Games are seemingly being used as an advert for the host country. Both Belarus and Azerbaijan, where the first edition was held, suffer from a poor human rights record. 

The term “sportswashing” came up while I was in Minsk, the definition of which accuses a Government of using a sporting event to boost their reputation and distract from a disregard of human rights. 

Having been held in two countries with strong reason to sportswash, the European Games must avoid try to avoid this pitfall again in the future.

Krakow will welcome the competition in 2023, where building a sporting legacy may have more importance than promoting a certain image of Poland. 

It is harder to focus on this in Europe, though, with the majority of countries already boasting high levels of sporting infrastructure. Regular events across the continent also provide ample opportunity for athletes to thrive.

When I reflect back on both competitions, this is what stands out. The importance of the Pan American Games is a lot greater to Peru than the European Games were to Minsk. 

If this pattern continues, it could be the deciding factor on the significance of each event in the sporting calendar and the battle for relevancy.