SANTIAGO, Chile — With the peaks of the Andes mountains overlooking Estadio Nacional, thousands packed into the 85-year-old stadium to watch the opening ceremony for the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, the eighth edition of the quadrennial event. 

Local popular artists such as Beto Cuevas, Denise Rosenthal and Pablo Chill-E performed at the celebration deemed “Chile and the Cosmos,” and Games officials spoke, all highlighted by the parade of athletes and passing of the torch. 

The Pan American and Parapan American Games represent the first multi-sport events hosted in the country and Chile created one of the most modern Paralympic centers in South America. 

Guided by Fiu, the official mascot of the Games, each of the 31 country’s 2262 athletes paraded through the stadium, beginning with Argentina and ending with Chile, which received the largest crowd reaction. Midway through, the United States marched in, led by wheelchair tennis player, Dana Mathewson, and para-judoka, Ben Goodrich, as its flag bearers. 

“Being able to carry the flag … it’s definitely for somebody that everybody feels is a representative of the common goals or the common vision that they want to show as what we’re about or what the athletes are about,” Goodrich told Team USA. “I feel like that’s quite humbling that people would choose me as that person. So, that’s pretty exciting. There’s so many people with impressive stories.”

Goodrich, who is visually impaired, won a silver medal in the men’s Judo 100 kg class at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. He also earned a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics two years later. As for Mathewson, she has competed for Team USA at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics in Rio and Tokyo.

Team USA consists of 240 athletes that will compete across 16 of 17 sports at the Games. The United States brings 91 Paralympians, 45 of which have medaled at the Paralympics. 

The United States marched in with one of the largest teams at the Games, joined by Brazil, Chile and Argentina, among others. President Joe Biden announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Chile to attend the opening ceremony on Friday. Bernadette Meehan, U.S ambassador to Chile, led the delegation.

Others marched in with just a few athletes, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who had just one, but all were equally welcomed by cheers and applause. After the procession, all athletes filed into the lower-level stands for the ensuing speeches and the “Chile and the Cosmos” performance.

On the stadium’s video screen, a series of stars and planets above Chilean landmarks were displayed to introduce the theme of the show. The short clip came just before the Americas Paralympic Committee flag was brought out across the stage area to be raised, adjacent to the Chilean flag. The flag bearers featured six notable Chilean Paralympians. Then, speeches by Santiago 2023 officials. 

“The world is watching us again, with the Parapan American Games, and I’m confident that we are up for the task,” said Jaime Pizarro, Chile’s Sports Minister. 

The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, declared the beginning of the games, igniting the crowd with an impromptu Chilean chant that could be heard multiple times throughout the night. Shortly after, an oath was taken to ensure the well-being of the Games. 

The opening ceremony generated a plethora of fan interaction. There were several instances where the crowd was requested to turn on their smartphone flashlights in hopes of creating a more magical aura. One speaker, who was unnamed, spoke about the importance of light in human nature, which was the main objective of the show as it brought positivity and unity among the crowd through Chilean artists.

Drones appeared from the right wing of the stadium, consistently changing shape and colors, as singers and dancers performed in the stage area right in the center of Estadio Nacional. Over the course of the evening, fans danced and sang along to some of their favorite artists, but the event was highlighted with the passing of the torch, an official symbol to the start of the Parapan American Games. 

The torch was passed across several Chilean Paralympians including para-swimmer Macarena Quero, para-athlete Francisca Mardones, para-swimmer Alberto Abarza and para-athlete Cristian Valenzuela, who lit the flame. 

Fireworks exploded around the perimeter of the stadium, the same way the ceremony ended a little bit after. Musical performances by Denise Rosenthal and Beto Cuevas ended the event.

“Our country will be tested in inclusion and accessibility and we hope to live up to it and make everyone feel at home,” Pizarro said.

For more photos from this event, visit here.