Renzo Manyari, president of the COP: “I am optimistic about Lima’s chances of winning the candidacy”

At midnight the deadline to register the candidatures for the 2027 Pan American Games closed and Lima complied with presenting the documentation to choose to repeat the party, as was experienced in Lima 2019. #SomosLima2027 is the request of the national sports world and Renzo Manyari, president of the International Olympic Committee tells us about the pillars that support this request.

As confirmed to Deporte Total, Lima and Asunción are strong candidates, but last night Monterrey of Mexico would also have joined the competition. Panam Sports must confirm today which cities will finally be in the campaign to win the 2027 Pan American Games.

Why host the Pan American Games again?

Sport is planning and also adaptation. If you weigh the balance, you have to understand that holding the Games has a positive balance. We are talking about economic gains of three times the investment, of jobs with an investment in a conservative figure of 300 to 350 million dollars. What other country cause does that generate for you?

What pillars does the candidacy rest on?

Socially, it unites the country under a single cause. Today Lima 2019 is taken as a reference. In terms of sports, up to that moment it was the best participation of the Peruvian delegation. It generates the growth of the Federations not only in the technical part, but also in the sporting part. The teams adapted and the leaders became stronger, positioning themselves at an international level.

Culturally you could see a country that understood what sport is and we saw ourselves capable of facing the second most important event in history behind the Olympic Games. And environmentally, we now have the opportunity to measure the CO2 impact and be able to compensate it, which also generates a benefit, as established by the 2020+5 Agenda of the International Olympic Committee. After such an analysis, the question would be, why not organize the Games?

There is a lot of talk about the fact that now is not the time to make these types of expenses, in the midst of the country’s economic recession.

Here I am not the one to be able to say what is the best way to manage the State budget. What I can tell you is that the Games are not going to represent an expense, they are an investment and it is favorable. On the other hand, premises must be weighed such as that there are public resources that are not executed in the year’s budget. What the COP proposes is that this resource can be used in a much more efficient way. Surely there are more options, but I think the only option that brings everything together is the Pan American Games.

Why trust a Government that has so many problems?

In sports, which is what I can answer you, the Government has a very clear plan, that is why we are doing the Bolivarians 2024 and 2025 and we hope to do the Pan American Games 2027. There is a policy of multi-sport events. Internally, the budget was increased almost double for the Federations because it was understood that there were results that supported it. There is more support for Federations to continue organizing global events. In sports, which is what concerns me, the Government has a clear guideline.

Why would they invest in an event that is not going to generate profits?

The Government assumes a great responsibility for two things, first because the current one will not actually be there in 2027, but my view is that it embraces a State cause. I think this time there was no pressure but rather a sample of the Federations and iconic athletes who understood that due to the benefits explained, it is a good opportunity.

Today we may think that it is an important expense, if possible, but it is an investment that gains greater value in cases like Covid, when the Lima 2019 infrastructure saved thousands of lives. I am not saying that another pandemic is going to happen, but that Sport and its legacy opens up, adapts and is at the service of the nation. Any government would like to have this opportunity. My perception is that no pressure was felt, but rather it is a message that has resonated very well in PCM, in the Presidency and in the Ministry of Education. They have accepted and embraced this message very well.

And the Ministry of Economy?

In the Ministry of Economy also because the numbers show positive issues. There is solid data to back up what we say. Our investment is 100% safe. With what we already did in 2019 we have a projection based on perfectly consolidated facts and numbers.

The Government said no to the U-17 Soccer World Cup because it assured that it had other spending priorities, due to the damage caused by the rains.

Football is not part of the national sports system, so I could not comment on the case. But in the case of COP, it has shown us the opposite. Every time we went to support a multi-sports event they bet on that. The budget of the Bolivarians 2024 and the federations for this year has already been secured. Each action has had proven evidence of compliance and that generates trust. The letter request process took a week. If in a week the PCM and the Presidency have given us the positive response to such a large request, I have no reason to distrust the Government.

Where does Lima stand in this candidacy against Asunción?

I am optimistic about Lima’s chances of winning the candidacy. However, it must be considered that Asunción has been showing its formal interest for some time, which gives it a certain advantage because I assume that it has spoken with other committees. But Lima’s strongest card is that we have held the largest Games in history and not in my words. We have proven human capital of excellence, a world-class infrastructure proven in its capacity not only during the Games, but every year as venues for various events, and we have a proven leadership cast at a level of excellence and that year after year we come surpassing If you gave me the choice between a city that is going to host the Games for the first time and one that has already held the biggest Games, I think the Peruvian cause is favorable.

If Monterrey is confirmed, Mexico can attract a large part of Central America’s votes

Mexico is, was and will be a reference for Latin American sports and especially for Panam Sports. I think it would be a very interesting contender and would raise the standards of competition. I am sure that Lima will live up to this fair.

For that we have to do new works?

Some maintenance works would have to be carried out, which are small compared to what was done for Lima 2019. Make the outpatient scenarios. But if you want, if you tell me it could be built, my dream is a Paralympic high performance center. Imagine that legacy, but that raises your costs. And I understand that there are works for Lima that can benefit, such as road infrastructure works.

I repeat the idea, why trust the Municipality of Lima that in a year has not lived up to the task?

Again, regarding the COP, the relationship with the Municipality of Lima is excellent. We have agreements that allow us to share technical knowledge. If we look back, two or three steps passed for Lima 2019 and despite that the Games were held. Road infrastructure could always be improved. Terminal 2 of the airport, Santa Rosa Avenue and one more terminal of the Lima Metro were pending. It is the perfect opportunity for it to be realized. The COP does trust them because they support us for 2025 for the Bolivarian Games that will be Lima-Ayacucho. Sometimes they say that everything is improvised, but that tells you that everything responds to organized events.

What’s next now with the candidacy on the table?

What follows once the candidacy is presented is that Panam Sports determines what the conditions of the campaign are. The times to travel, if gifts can be presented to the committees, the deadlines until the Assembly, when and where the Assembly would be. Yes you can have previous events. They have to tell us that.

Aren’t you playing with fire? Do you feel like it’s a solid bet or will it all be an adventure?

If I didn’t feel that we were doing well, I wouldn’t have compromised the image of the COP in this candidacy. I am convinced that, in almost 100 years of the Olympic movement, the federations and their athletes unanimously support our hosting.

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