Panam Sports, organizers of the quadrennial Pan American Games, announced this week that Barranquilla, Colombia has been stripped of its hosting duties for the 2027 edition of the multi-sport competition.
Per the official statement, Panam Sports conveyed that its Executive Committee has unanimously decided to withdraw the venue of the XX Pan American Games due to ‘countless breaches of current contracts.’
The statement further detailed how last October the Colombian authorities requested an extension of deadlines to be able to fulfill the contract. The new deadlines came and went without a response from Barranquilla which forced Panam Sports’ hand.
‘Panam Sports deeply regrets this situation, but the decision has been made thinking about the future of the largest multisport event in the Americas and the athletes of the continent,’ the organization’s statement read.
Barranquilla has hosted an international, multi-sport event in the past with the 2018 Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Games taking place in the city over a million citizens call home.
At this time, there has been no announcement of a new host, although the cities of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, both in Bolivia, had previously shown interest in hosting. (Metropols)
The 2023 Pan American Games took place in Santiago, Chile from October 20th through November 5th, marking the first time the nation had hosted the elite event.
Bolivia’s altitude would be brutal on athletes.
What a shame. Colombia has made a ton of progress in cleaning up its reputation on the world stage and making it a safer country for tourism and events like this. Barranquilla is a beautiful city.
What were these breaches? Is it missing deadlines, or is it oligarchs siphoning money from the funding and getting caught?
I’m not aware of Colombian oligarchs (apart from a few drug lords) and certainly none involved with the Pan Am games planning.
The corruption and incompetence just continues to grow. The industrial society is ending folks.
There’s been corruption around since Roman times (and earlier). The fact that a third world country has had its hosting rights for an athletic event removed has nothing to do with “industrial society” and doesn’t portend anything other than a new host is required.
Colombia has plenty of money. Just none for the people or the country. Broken walkways, holes in streets which would shred your tires. Politicians spend millions flying around the world but cant afford $4 mil.
First the Commonwealth Games and now this
It’s hardly new for a host city or country to pull out or have the hosting rights removed. Colombia was the original host for the 1986 FIFA World Cup but pulled out because of the cost and Mexico took over.