The meeting will instead take place in Prague on November 4 following the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly in the Czech capital the previous day.

Santiago is set to be awarded the 2023 Pan American Games during the meeting.

The decision to move locations was made during today's PASO Executive Committee meeting here. 

It comes despite a PASO constitutional requirement stipulating that the host of the Pan American Games must organise the Ordinary General Assembly two years beforehand.

Lima is instead expected to host next year's equivalent meeting. 

"Under the contract we have with Lima, they are obliged to have the Assembly two years before the Games," PASO President Neven Ilic told insidethegames today. 

"They are working a lot and have problems so they asked if they can move the meeting to 2018.

"This was not a problem with me and the Executive Committee approved the proposal today."

The decision should also cut costs because it will remove the need for delegates from 41 PASO members travelling to Peru especially for the meeting.

An Elective General Assembly has already taken place in April this year in Punte del Este, Uruguay.

It had been expected to take place at the end of September barely a week after the city is due to host the International Olympic Committee  Session at which the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games are due to be awarded.

Other PASO meetings have taken place alongside the ANOC General Assembly in recent years. 

An Extraordinary General Assembly took place on Asian soil in Bangkok in 2014 and again in Doha in 2016.

Santiago is the only candidate for the 2023 Pan American Games following the withdrawal of Buenos Aires earlier this year.

A Commission will be sent to the Chilean capital to inspect their credentials before they deliver a report in Prague.

They are then expected to be confirmed as host during the meeting.