Officials from Santiago 2023, the Chilean Ministry of Sport and the Chilean Olympic Committee were present at the event in Cerrillos, where the Pan American Games Village will be constructed.

Work on the Athletes Village, set to beturned into social housing following the Games, is expected to start in June following the conclusion of the tender process.

The ceremony was held to celebrate the 1,000 days to go milestone, which fell on Saturday (January 23).

The Games, expected to feature 8,000 athletes from 41 countries, are scheduled to take place from October 20 to November 5 2023.

Organisers have also used the milestone to provide updates on preparations for the event, which Panam Sports and Santiago 2023 have insisted have continued at full speed despite the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2020, the Organising Committee said it had focused on collecting "primary information with the technical delegates of each sport" and carrying out a "mapping of the athletes who will arrive in the country and adjust the technical bases of each discipline".

The sports management team is led by former sprinter and two-time Pan American Games silver medallist Ximena Restrepo.

Organisers are now looking to receive visits from technical delegates, despite the COVID-19 situation.

The final allocation of venues for each of the sports and disciplines of Santiago 2023 is among the next key targets.

Stadiums including the Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo, home to the Chilean football club Universidad Católica, are being renovated for the Games.