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PERUVIAN FOOTBALL 5-A-SIDE TEAM TO HONOR THEIR COUNTRY AT LIMA 2019
The ‘Blanquirroja’ is ready to shine at the Parapan American Games and it will make its debut against Mexico on Saturday. To watch this great match, buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets.
When you play football with the heart, there is no visual impairment that can stop your feet from kicking the ball. That overwhelming passion for the most popular sport is what allows us to see five men fighting for a ball that has bells inside while wearing eyeshades in an adapted field of 40 x 20 meters. This marvelous performance will be seen at Lima 2019, starting this Saturday, August 24, in the hockey field of the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center.
Peru will be represented by an enthusiastic group that has been working for the past two years, led by their coach Felipe Ramírez. The ten selected Para athletes want to prove that they are playing at home, showing how Peruvian football is played. In fact, the last few months, they trained with the teams of Alianza Lima, Universitario and Cristal, which impressed the professional players.
“These experiences have helped us a lot, but mostly they helped us to show the conventional football players that we share the same passion for this sport. Professional players such as Jorge Cazulo, Carlos Lobatón, Pablo Lavandeira, Wilder Cartagena, and Joa Arroé were amazed with the experience of playing blindfolded and encouraged us to do our best at the Games,” stated Juan Pablo Torres, member of the ‘Blanquirroja’.
Peru will face off the six best teams of the continent, of which Brazil and Argentina are among the most awarded in the world. The journey begins this Saturday (20:00) against Mexico in Villa María del Triunfo. The Aztecs placed third in the Copa América of Football 5-a-side and have 15 years training with the same coaching staff. They are, without a doubt, a strong opponent.
The matches between Argentina and Costa Rica, and Colombia against Brazil—the three-time Parapan American champion—will be held on the same day at 17:00 and 17:30, respectively. If you want to witness this great Para athletes, buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets and in any of the 11 authorized centers across the city.
ABOUT LIMA 2019
The Parapan American Games will gather 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries, participating in 17 sports and 18 disciplines. Competitions will take place from August 23 to September 1, 2019. Additionally, 13 Para sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Peru will be represented by 139 Para athletes, the biggest amount for this type of continental competitions. In addition, we will participate in 16 disciplines, with sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball being the ones with the highest number of competitors, with 24 each (12 for the women’s team and the same amount for the men’s team).