Pablo Squella

Pablo Cristián Squella Serrano (born August 14, 1963) is a Chilean journalist and retired middle distance runner, who represented his native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Squella competed for the Texas Longhorns track and field team in the NCAA. In 2012, he was inducted into the Penn Relays hall of fame. He finished fifth in the 800 metres and in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1987 Pan American Games.

He was appointed as minister of Sport of Chile by president Michelle Bachelet in 2016 and served in that position until 11 March 2018. He is the ambassador of the 2023 Pan American Games and the Parapan American Games in Santiago.

Early life and education Squella was born in Santiago on 14 August 1963, the son of architect Juan Arturo Squella and athlete and journalist Juana Serrano Lyon. He is married to Paula Gajardo and has five children: Tomás, Pablo, Micaela, Martina, and Sofía.

He studied journalism at the University of Chile and later completed postgraduate studies in physical education at the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. He was a member of the Chilean national athletics team between 1980 and 1996.

Squella represented Chile at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He was also selected for the Chilean delegation to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, although disagreements with sports officials prevented him from competing.

He continues to hold the Chilean junior record in the 400 metres (46.20) and the national senior record in the 800 metres (1:45.75).

Political career Following his retirement from athletics, Squella worked as a coach for young athletes and served as director of Chile's High Performance Training Centre ―Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR)― from 2001 to 2004. He also worked as a sports commentator and journalist for media outlets including La Tercera, Radio Cooperativa, UCV Televisión, Canal 13, and Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN).

On 18 November 2016, he was appointed Minister of Sport, succeeding Natalia Riffo. He remained in office until the end of Bachelet's administration in March 2018. During his tenure, Chile secured the hosting rights for the 2023 Pan American Games.

In 2025, Squella registered as an independent pre-candidate for the Chamber of Deputies in the 10th electoral district.

International competitions 1Did not finish in the semifinals