Official mascot for the 2023 Pan American Games unveiled

Havana, October 18 (RHC/JIT)-- Just as they celebrate the two-year countdown to the opening, the organizers of the Santiago de Chile 2023 Pan American Games officially unveiled the Fiu mascot.

The public face of the event is inspired by the seven-colored bird (Tachuris rubrigastra) which native to central-western South America, found in Chile's wetlands, according to the Panam Sports website.

With a wide majority among its competitors, it was chosen as the winner and will be the main representative of the XIX Pan American Games and VII Parapan American Games of Santiago 2023. It was unveiled at an event at Cerro San Cristobal, an iconic site in the Chilean capital. 

Fiu was the winner of a historic vote of more than 45 thousand Chilean and foreign participants.

Felipe De Pablo, executive director of the contest, indicated that "Fiu is a nice bird that will show us that being small is not a problem to give his best effort. That is why he wants to practice each of the 38 Pan American and 17 Parapan American sports that are part of the event's competition program".

Fiu's colors represent the diversity of human beings and above all the athletes for whom every day is a new challenge, but always ready to face any challenge as the chosen bird faces, whose colors signify strength, constancy, respect, determination, honesty, companionship and passion.

The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Sport and President of the corporation, Cecilia Pérez, who emphasized that "we are on the verge of experiencing an unparalleled sporting milestone. We are working without pause and at full speed, according to the established deadlines, so that the greatest sports festival in the Americas will be an unforgettable event for Chile and will be at the level of the best Pan American and Parapan American Games in history".

The president of the Chilean Olympic Committee, Miguel Ángel Mujica, stated that "we are celebrating the fact that there are only two years left until the Games begin, two years in which we will have to work to the best of our abilities not only to comply with the organizational standards, but especially to spread throughout Chile the relevance of hosting a competition with 41 countries and almost 10,000 athletes".

Neven Ilic, head of Panam Sports, the governing body of the event, commented virtually that "the Pan American Games is the great dream that all of us who are involved in sports have had for many years and we are two years away from this reality that should generate a change, that should generate hope for the future so that Chilean sport, which is getting better every day, which is getting bigger every day, continues to grow".