The countdown to the inaugural Junior Pan American Games hit a significant milestone, with the start of the torch relay getting under way in the host city of Cali, Colombia, yesterday.

The fire for the torch was kindled beneath the Cristo Rey monument overlooking the city, before officials including Mayor Jorge Ivan Ospina and Valle del Cauca Governor Clara Luz Roldan, formed part of train delivering it to Neven Ilic, Panam Sports president

Ilic lit the torch which will tour the Valle del Cauca region in advance of the first ever Junior Pan American Games, commencing on November 25.

Valeria Cabezas, Colombia's 400 metres hurdles champion at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, was chosen to start the Torch Relay along with Juan Manuel Morales, a national youth swimming champion.

The Torch itself is inspired by a bird's nest and said to represent how young athletes may be beginning a flight to greatness at the Junior Pan American Games.

The relay is scheduled to visit locations including Barranquilla – host of the 2027 Pan American Games, as well as baseball and softball venues at Cali 2021 – the Lord of Miracles of Buga statue, the Miguel Calero Hockey Coliseum and finally the Junior Pan American Cauldron.

All 41 countries and territories affiliated with Panam Sports, including Bermuda, have committed to sending a team to Cali, where Covid-19 vaccination has been made mandatory for all competitors aged 18 and over.

The Junior Pan American Games is being billed as a key event in the lead-up to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and Paris 2024 Olympics, allowing up-and-coming athletes a platform they would not have had in years gone by.