The 2027 Pan American Games (Spanish: Juegos Panamericanos de 2027), officially the XX Pan American Games (Spanish: XX Juegos Panamericanos) and commonly known as Lima 2027, is an upcoming international multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization. It will be held for the second time in Peru's capital, Lima eight years after hosting the 2019 Pan American Games.
Barranquilla, Colombia was initially announced as the host in August 2021. However, the city was stripped of its hosting rights in January 2024 after the country's Ministry of Sports failed to meet contractual obligation, as well as financial reasons.[1]
The bidding process to determine the host of the 2027 Pan American Games was to begin in January 2021. However, in July 2021, president of Panam Sports Neven Ilic confirmed that the bidding process would be postponed until January 2022. The deadline to submit bids for the event is November 15, 2021.[2]
On January 14, 2019, the Minister of Sports of Bolivia, Tito Montaño expressed his interest for Bolivia to host the Pan American Games. Although a specific city had not been determined, Montaño stated that a candidate city would have been determined within the coming weeks since the announcement. Bolivia has never submitted a bid for the Pan American Games.[5][6]
On October 24, 2018, Mayor of Barranquilla Alejandro Char confirmed Barranquilla's interest in the 2023 Pan American Games. After a successful hosting of the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, Char was inspired to meet with Panam Sports President Neven Ilić Álvarez. After the meeting, Char told reporters, "After this meeting I’m feeling more calm, confident and sure than ever that we can do it ... We are going to do everything in our power to make the advancements to hold the Games that Barranquilla wants and deserves."[7]
On January 3, 2024, Barranquilla was stripped of hosting rights by Panam Sports, due to the Colombian national and local authorities headed by the Ministry of Sports failing to meet contractual obligations, as well as failing to arrange the payment corresponding to the rights to hold the competitions before December 31, 2023.[8] Panam Sports have also considered legal action for damages of $8 million caused by the breach of contract.[9]
A few days after Barranquilla was withdrawn, the Colombian Olympic Committee president Ciro Solano; regarding the Asunción bid, accused Paraguayan sport officials of interfering with Barranquilla’s hosting, claiming that, in an interview with AFP, "Paraguay has been insisting on holding the [2027 PanAm] Games since August".[10]
Asunción will host the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, and if it had won its bid to replace Barranquilla it would have served as a dress rehearsal for the Games, as well as being the first time Paraguay has hosted the main Pan American Games. As Paraguay is a landlocked country, it was proposed that the surfing events be held in El Salvador, as confirmed by the El Salvador Olympic Committee, making it the first continental Central American country to host a Pan American Games event.[14]
Lima previously hosted the 2019 Pan American Games with success and their bid would reuse infrastructure from those games, in line with sustainability and environmental standards. The current president of Peru, Dina Boluarte announced her support for the bid on 18 January 2024.[16]
São Paulo previously hosted the 1963 Pan American Games, and has expressed interest in bidding for the 2031 Pan American Games. Brazil last hosted the Pan American Games in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro.