International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry visited Lima, Peru, to review preparations and challenges for the 2027 Pan American and Parapan American Games during Panam Sports Week.
Coventry met with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori and other senior officials involved in organising the Games. This was her first official visit to the Americas as IOC president. She highlighted Peru’s previous experience of hosting major sporting events and said the facilities built for the 2019 Pan American Games would be an important advantage for Lima 2027.
The Pan American Games will take place from 23 July to 8 August 2027, bringing together more than 7,000 athletes from 41 countries to compete in 38 sports and 59 disciplines. The Parapan American Games will follow from 20 to 29 August, featuring athletes from 34 countries competing across 17 sports.
Peruvian officials confirmed that preparations are continuing in cooperation with Panam Sports, the Peruvian Olympic Committee and other organisations. Their work includes improving infrastructure, transport, logistics and event planning to ensure the Games meet international standards while making good use of the facilities from 2019.
Coventry’s visit also focused on the future development of sport across the Americas. During Panam Sports Week, Olympic officials and athlete representatives discussed topics including athlete involvement in decision-making, good governance, strengthening National Olympic Committees, sports development, branding and financial sustainability.
The discussions form part of Panam Sports’ Forward Together strategy, which aims to create a shared direction for the future of sport across the continent. Coventry compared the initiative with the IOC’s own Fit for the Future strategy, saying both programmes focus on listening to athletes and other stakeholders and working together to improve sport.
Gender equality and athlete protection were also important topics during the week. Coventry stressed that creating more opportunities for women in sport and leadership is a shared responsibility across the entire sporting movement.
The week will conclude with meetings of the Panam Sports Executive Committee and its General Assembly. The Lima 2027 Organising Committee will also present its preparations, while decisions will be made on the host city for the 2029 Junior Pan American Games and Panam Sports’ representative to the Association of National Olympic Committees.
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