Carlos Neuhaus Tudela, President, XVIII Pan American Games and VI Parapan American Games of 2019 : Interview

Interview : Carlos Neuhaus Tudela

What infrastructure is being built for the Pan American Games that will be held in Lima in 2019?

CARLOS NEUHAUS TUDELA: Between September 2017 and March 2018, five major infrastructure projects for the games have been tendered and awarded: the Pan American Villa, the National Sports Villa (VIDENA), the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Complex, the Regional Sports Villa of Callao and San Marcos Stadium, and the Villa El Salvador Sports Centre. These projects have an estimated cost of approximately PEN323.5m ($99.6m), PEN489.4m ($150.7m), PEN222m ($68.4m), PEN152m ($46.8m) and PEN90m ($27.7m), respectively. All of these infrastructure projects – which will abide by the highest international standards – are expected to be completed and ready to use by March 2019. The Pan American Villa will host an estimated 8500 athletes in 1096 apartments distributed between seven towers, of which 336 apartments and common areas will be designed for individuals with disabilities. The Villa María del Triunfo Sports Complex will include facilities for hockey, rugby, baseball, softball and basque pelota games, as well as an aquatic centre. VIDENA will include an aquatic centre, a velodrome, a sports centre, a bowling centre and an athletics stadium. The north, east and west stands of the San Marcos Stadium will be remodelled, with plans for new dressing rooms and an athletics field. At the Regional Sports Villa of Callao, a new sports centre will be built, while its Miguel Grau Coliseum will be modified to accommodate boxing and wrestling events. Lastly, the Villa El Salvador Sports Centre will have a multi-sport pavilion and a gymnastics pavilion.

How do you assess the regulatory obstacles to the development of this infrastructure?

NEUHAUS: As part of the application of Law No. 29230 – which enhances regional and local public investment with the participation of the private sector through the Obras por Impuestos (Works for Taxes) scheme – recommendations from the office of the comptroller-general must be provided prior to selection processes commencing, with these being based on a number of legal, financial and technical aspects. Although this does not go against the Works for Taxes scheme, the office of the comptroller-general could affect what aspects are taken into account. While Invierte.pe, which replaced the System of National Public Investment, tasks units with defining and declaring the viability of a project, Works for Taxes allows a third entity – i.e. the office of the comptroller-general – to question the reach of said viability. This can undermine the goals of Invierte.pe as it may cause delays in the generation of public investment.

Another challenge stems from the diversity of actors that are involved at the municipal, regional and national levels. These authorities oversee qualifications, matters of environmental and archaeological protection, and water use. Additionally, each level of government possesses its own criteria for the application and interpretation of legal and technical norms. Given that the timely execution of these infrastructure projects is a matter of national interest, regulators should consider creating work groups to tackle each investment project, as this could improve coordination between actors.

In what ways is the UK assisting in the organisation of the 2019 Pan American Games?

NEUHAUS: A government-to-government agreement that has the goal of providing technical assistance in the areas of programming, operations, infrastructure and legacy management of the games was signed between Peru and the UK in April 2017. This will involve independent experts and internationally recognised companies that have experience organising large-scale sports events. The UK team has led permanent infrastructure acquisitions in order to guarantee fair and transparent processes. This aims to ensure that the winning contractors operate in line with best international practices, thereby guaranteeing best value for the public sector.