Americas’ top young athletes are #NEXTUP at Cali 2021

CALI, COLOMBIA (October 27, 2021) — A new generation of star athletes will start their journey to the next Pan American and Olympic Games in just one month when the Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games begin.

Panam Sports is proud to provide a new stage for these young athletes (U-23) to showcase their talent and prove to the world that they are ready to compete for medals at the biggest events on the world stage. 

Youth National Champions, Junior World Record holders and Olympic up-and-comers, these incredible young athletes have started their careers by turning heads. Now, the spotlight is on them as they prove they have what it takes to compete at sport’s highest level.

Enter the Cali 2021 Junior Pan American Games, a new opportunity for athletes who are just starting their careers in elite sport and seeking a path to compete at the two most important multisport events in the world — the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

More than 3,800 athletes from 41 countries across the Americas will arrive in Cali, Colombia to compete in 39 disciplines, with individual gold medalists earning their country a guaranteed spot at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games.

“This event is very important and it will give us young people a boost to go further in our careers,” said 20-year-old Colombian swimmer, Juan Manuel Morales. “We are going to be at home with our fans in the venues and that is a source of pride for the city. I have prepared two years for these Games and I am going to feel that adrenaline to win many golds. We keep dreaming, because everything is possible.”

In addition to welcoming spectators up to 50-percent capacity at the venues in Colombia, sport fans throughout the world will be able to watch more than 800 hours of live coverage of the Games for free on the Panam Sports Channel website and mobile application available for download on Google Play, Apple Store, Roku, FireTV and Apple TV, among others. 

“It fills me and all of us at Panam Sports with great pride to finally be realizing this dream of helping the outstanding young athletes throughout our continent with a new event designed specifically for them. We hope that this often forgotten group of athletes will utilize the Junior Pan American Games to jumpstart their careers and that they will represent the first step on their journey to incredible success in international sport,” said Panam Sports President, Neven Ilic. 

The best young athletes of the Americas are ready to prove that their sporting idols will soon be their rivals. Now it’s their turn. Now it’s their time. They’re #NextUp!

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