Looking out of the panoramic windows which show off the Andes in all its glory, it is hard not to feel at peace with the world.

The spectacular mountain range provides a stunning backdrop to the city which is set to host the Pan American and Parapan American Games in a little more than a year's time.

Ilic, a born and bred Chilean, is completely at home here as he shows me around the Panam Sports office.

But underneath his chilled exterior is a burning desire to complete a personal mission.

That mission is to deliver the biggest sporting event that has been staged in his native country since the FIFA World Cup was held there 60 years ago.

"This is my country, my city, my people and my Games," Ilic told insidethegames.

"It is important to show my population in my country that we are doing a fantastic job.

"It is important that one feels proud of what is happening here.

"That was the case in Lima in 2019.

"After the Opening Ceremony, all the Peruvian people felt happy and proud of what they were doing."

Born in Antofagasta in northern Chile in 1962, Ilic has become an influential sporting figure in his native country.

After a spell as director of the Tennis Federation of Chile, Ilic spent 13 years as President of the Chilean Olympic Committee where he was re-elected unanimously on three occasions before stepping down after taking on the role as head of Panam Sports in 2017.

Ilic also led the Organising Committees for the South American Games and South American Youth Games that were both staged in Santiago in 2014 and 2017 respectively.

The 60-year-old, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, has seen Chilean sport grow over the years but believes the Pan American Games will give his nation the platform to "jump" to another level.

"Legacy is a very important word to me," said Ilic.

"Before the Games, you have time to prepare the athletes and find the best way to invest in them.

"But after the Games it is important how you use it.

"We are long, long country and everything is in Santiago.

"When you have good athletes in other regions, if they want to grow, they have to move to Santiago and this is very complicated when you have to live far away from your family and are 12 or 13 years old.

"This is where I think the authorities, the National Olympic Committee and the National Federations need to use the Games to rethink how they are developing sport and to jump in results and quality of the athletes to show better [performances] at the Olympic Games.

"When I was a little boy, I didn’t have enough opportunities to have fun.

"You go to the street, took your bicycle and go.

"Today, you have many different opportunities to have fun and one of those to choose is sport.

"When you do that, we have to give them good, clean venues close to your home.

"For countries like Chile, it’s not easy to convince the Government to invest in new venues for the sport.

"In Lima, they have amazing venues for the next 50 years but the main reason for that is the Pan American Games and this will be the same in Santiago.

"All the infrastructure that we are doing here will be the infrastructure for the next 50 years.

"This is a good legacy."

With more than 400 days to go until the Games are due to get underway, the staging of last week’s Panam Sports General Assembly was the perfect chance to give representatives of all 41 NOCs and media a taste of what to expect from Santiago 2023.

Upon arrival at the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, I was instantly greeted by Santiago 2023 volunteers who helped ensure swift progress to my accommodation.

Unlike many countries, Chile still has COVID-19 protocols in place with mask-wearing made mandatory in enclosed public spaces and random testing conducted for those flying into Santiago.

Santiago 2023 also offered a tour of the venues that are set to be used for the Games with participants either going to the Athletes' Village which is being constructed or the main cluster site that features the Estadio Nacional.

Unfortunately Chile’s national stadium was unavailable to visitors due preparation for an upcoming major music concert, but I was taken around the venues for basketball, hockey and tennis competitions.

All three are set to be revamped with the tennis courts in danger of falling into disrepair without the much-needed investment.

Speaking at the General Assembly, Michael Fennell, head of the Panam Sports' Technical Commission for Santiago 2023, raised concerns over the progress of the venues, concluding that the centres for the aquatics and volleyball required "special attention" in a warning to organisers.

"Today is September 2022," said Fennell.

"The Games are in October 2023.

"In effect, we have one more year of preparation so we should be ready by the end of August 2023 with all of these things [in place].

"There is a lot of work to be done."

Ilic is anticipating a "rush" to finish the work as he predicts it will be completed "very close" to the Opening Ceremony.

The Chilean official blames the COVID-19 pandemic as the chief reason for the delays in construction but expects preparations to ramp up after completing the tender process.

Chile has also undergone plenty of changes in Government, with Gabriel Boric becoming the country’s third President since it was awarded the hosting rights for the Games in 2017.

Santiago 2023 officials insist they have the backing of Boric, but chief executive Gianna Cunazza admitted they did face financial constraints.

"Even though we are on budget and on schedule, if there is a chance that we require more budget to finish the Games for any reason, we might not have it," said Cunazza.

"We don’t have any extra time to be delayed on anything."

The race is on to get everything delivered on time and Ilic is determined to not disappoint.

"When the Games finishes, I want to find out whether everyone - the journalists, the athletes and the Chilean population - was happy," said Ilic.

"I want everyone to be proud of what is happening in my country."