The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee completely enabled the National Sports Village (VIDENA) to guarantee access for Para athletes and people with an impairment, so that the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games are successfully held from start to finish.

VIDENA, the main venue for the Lima 2019 Games, includes the Aquatic Center, the Athletics Stadium and the Velodrome. Their structures have turned it into a sports city and accessible for people with some type of impairment.

In collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee, the sports infrastructure of the venue was designed and built in accordance with the international standards of good practice for events. Therefore, it ensures a legacy of promotion and practice of high-performance Para sports.

For example, autonomous movement is encouraged through ramps with slopes allowing people using wheelchairs or with reduced mobility to travel effortlessly through all common spaces and sports venues of the precinct.

All venues have wheelchair spaces and priority seats with easy access around the field of play. Therefore, regardless of the budget, all spectators can enjoy competitions and future sports events from all areas. All wheelchair spaces have a reserved seat for a companion.

Also, venue elevators can accommodate up to three wheelchairs. They have sound signals and Braille signage to guide people with visual impairments.

Additionally, the precinct has tactile paving on the pedestrian areas and Braille signage throughout VIDENA to facilitate autonomous movement and guidance for people with visual impairments. The paving patterns indicate where to stop or continue. They also warn you about changes in stair levels or bus or car crossings on internal ways.

Bathrooms have been completely adapted with passage width and width at turn, adapted accessories to facilitate handling with poor dexterity in hands or upper limbs, accessible height and distance of accessories for wheelchair users or people of short stature, as well as support accessories for transfer maneuvers from the wheelchair, among others.

Known as universal accessibility, venues have a functional design for everyone, including people with baby strollers, senior people, children, and pregnant women.

The Parapan American Games kicked off on Friday, August 23, with a spectacular opening ceremony held at the National Stadium and will end on Sunday, September 1.

During the seventh competition day at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games, the Peruvian women’s sitting volleyball team will compete against Canada for the bronze medal in a nerve-racking match. 

The competition will be held at the Callao Regional Sports Center, starting at 19:00. The women’s final between Brazil and the USA will take place at 21:00. As for men’s, the competition for the gold, silver and bronze medals between the teams from Canada, Colombia, Brazil and the USA will start at 15:00. 

In the men’s quarterfinals goalball competitions, the Peruvians will play against the experienced Brazilian team, starting at 10:00, at the Miguel Grau Coliseum in the province of Callao. In women’s, the Peruvian goalball team will face off Brazil again starting at 18:45. 

In the football 5-a-side group stage, the Peruvian team will try to bounce back and make a full recovery against Colombia, starting at 20:00, at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. On the same day, the Argentinian, Mexican, Brazilian and Costa Rican teams will compete against each other as of 15:00.  

As part of the first-round matches in football 7-a-side, the Peruvian team will go up against Argentina, starting at 11:30, at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. The teams from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and the USA will also try to obtain more points to move to the next stage.  

Besides, the wheelchair basketball matches will also continue at the VIDENA, featuring Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil, the USA, Colombia, Chile, and of course Peru.  

Moreover, the best male and female wheelchair tennis players in the continent will compete to obtain their ticket for the singles and doubles finals, at the Lawn Tennis Club, starting at 11:00. 

The Aquatic Center of the National Sports Village will house the last Para swimming matches, where athletes will compete for the gold in two intense sessions scheduled to start at 09:00 and 17:00.   

In Para athletics, the best athletes in the Americas will put their training to the test in a wide range of events, including 100 m, 400 m, javelin throw, 1500 m, 4x100 m mixed relay, discus throw, etc. 

Once again, the world’s best fanbase showed its unconditional support for Peru in every sport. This time, it won over the women's wheelchair basketball team. The fans cheered incessantly at VIDENA Sports Center 1, where Peru lost to Chile in matchday 3 of Group B, as part of the Lima 2019 Games. 

Dozens of Peruvian and Chilean families were in attendance, cheering for their respective teams. This turned into a beautiful competition between both fanbases. Peru took an early lead, but their rivals showed their experience, eventually winning 33-28. 

Starting tomorrow, Peru will play the round of matches defining positions five to eight. The first rivals will be Mexico (12:30). If the Peruvian team wins, it will go through to the fifth-place match. Meanwhile, the women's semifinals will be Argentina vs. USA and Brazil vs. Canada. 

“The support from the fans was exciting and we’ll treasure it in our hearts. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep up the level we showed at the beginning. But we’ll have our revenge against Chile if we meet in the next round,” said a tearful Jaquelin Burgos. 

CHEER ON THEM FROM THE STANDS! 

You can keep cheering on the Peruvian wheelchair basketball teams in the matches defining positions five to eight. Buy your tickets, whose prices start at PEN 10. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment. Tickets can be bought in the VIDENA ticket offices and the 11 authorized points of sale across Lima. 

They can also be purchased online on the website lima2019.pe/tickets, where the competition schedules are detailed. In the case of e-tickets, printing will no longer be necessary since spectators can show their e-tickets from their mobile phones at the entrance of the sports venue. 

In his debut at the Parapan American Games, and being the youngest of the delegation at only 14 years old, Rodrigo Santillán Cruz was close to win a medal at the Para swimming competition of 50 m backstroke S2. 

The Peruvian finished fourth place with a time of 1:14.17, only 18 hundredths away from the bronze medal, which was taken by the Brazilian Gabriel Dos Santos in the final against Santillán. The Para swimmer had qualified to the final in the morning with a time of 1:13.27.  

The youngest athlete of the Peruvian delegation competes with a motor sensory polyneuropathy, an illness that decreases the capacity to move or feel due to neurological damage.  

Santillán is a student of the Juan Guerrero Quimper school located in the district of Villa María del Triunfo. This was one of the educational institutions toured by the “Soy Lima” campaign, where the students learned about sport values and the development of the Pan American and Parapan American Games in Peru. His school was also granted with free tickets to watch the competitions of the Parapan American Games and, therefore, his classmates were cheering on him from the grandstands of the Athletics Stadium during his performance. 

Rodrigo has three more competitions to reach the podium in his debut at the Parapan American Games. Tomorrow, he will compete in 100 m backstroke S2 (S1) starting at 19:00 at the modern Aquatic Center, which is considered one of the best in the world by the competitors themselves. On Friday, the Peruvian Para swimmer will participate in 50 freestyle S2 (S1) and will finish his participation on Saturday 31, with 100 freestyle S2 (S1).  

TICKETS FOR SALE 

Buy your tickets to witness the best Para athletes of the continent perform at the Parapan American Games. Prices start at PEN 10.00. Also, there will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment. Tickets can be bought at the ticket booth in VIDENA (Gate 1 and Gate 10) and at the 11 authorized points of sale around the city. 

Tickets can be also purchased online through lima2019.pe, where you will also find the Sports Calendar with detailed competition schedules. In the case of e-tickets, printing will no longer be necessary since customers can show their e-ticket from their mobile phones at the entrance of the sports venue. 

Brazil and Guatemala were playing the last minute of the men’s goalball match. Students from General Prado from Bellavista, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Nº 5076 school from Callao, and Manuel Seoane school in the district of Mi Perú, were following every play closely, in absolute silence.  

They were able to enjoy the goalball match at the Miguel Grau Stadium in Callao thanks to the “Soy Lima 2019” campaign. This initiative included 31 institutions in its first stage, promoting the Olympic and Paralympic values with activities and sociocultural performances; in its second stage, it raised students' awareness of new Para sport disciplines.   

But the inspiring moment took place after this last minute: Leomon Moreno Da Silva, the world's best goalball player and scorer of the 95 goals which led Brazil to the 2018 world championship, stood up and walked onto the stands to join the musical celebration typical of Lima 2019. 

The Brazilian team, along with Moreno Da Silva, sang “Cariñito”, jumped together with the three schools’ students, took selfies with each group, and shouted out “Perú, Perú, Perú!” and “We can do it! We can do it!”, as a way to acknowledge the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games excellent organization. 

The excitement brought by this was felt throughout the Miguel Grau Coliseum, located in the district of Bellavista, Constitutional Province of Callao. Volunteers gathered together, sang and laughed with the goalball players. This sport was created for the community of persons with visual impairment to allow them to play with passion. 

Sports as a Life-changing Experience 

Teacher César Castillo Reyes, from General Prado school, highlighted that the Pan American and Parapan American Games are the most beautiful events ever held in Peru and they have raised the students' awareness of the inclusion of persons with an impairment thanks to the “Soy Lima 2019” campaign. 

For him, the most important legacy of the Games is that sports are an element of change for society. They encourage children to do sports, be focused and competitive, feel proud of representing Peru and stay busy by doing positive activities for society. 

Teacher Brigitte Palacios from Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Nº 5076 school agreed that doing sports is important for students and that these competitions help teach them different subjects, such as Math, Science and Environment, Civics, all of them oriented to the Lima 2019 Games. 

Nearly 40 years after releasing their best-known song, “Avenida Larco”, the rock band was invited by Lima 2019 to be part of the series of free concerts given at Culturaymi during the Parapan American Games.  

On the Morisco stage located at Parque de la Exposición, the legendary band gave a concert filled with the usual excitement they display on stage. It is worth noting that Frágil received the International Gold Excellence Award by the Peruvian American National Council (PANC) at the OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. last July.  

“This was an invitation to a party, and we loved being called to play, especially during the Parapan American Games. I think this moment is even greater because of the Para athletes’ admirable effort... I really do think that this will go down in history. Thanks to Lima 2019, the country has reached a new level: we’re on the world map now,” stated Octavio ‘Tavo’ Castillo, who has played keyboards and flute for the band since its inception.  

Similarly, lead singer Álex Rojas claimed that he felt honored to be part of the schedule during the Para sports competitions.  

“The people who compete are heroes already; they don’t need any medals because they’re role models to all of us. In spite of their own constraints, they’ve taught us that there are no limits. And we’re here to share our music. That’s what we’re here for: to share, not to compete,” he stated.  

Over 40 free concerts featuring bands in a wide range of genres and styles will be held as part of Culturaymi at Parque de la Exposición from July 27 to August 31.  

“This event is really important because it's the first time sports and music have come together. It’s a truly interesting proposal by the organizers and I don’t know when it will happen again,” stated César Bustamante, Frágil’s bassist and founding member. 

Every move of the women’s goalball national team made the crowd at Miguel Grau Coliseum excited, and they did not stop cheering on their national team during its match against Mexico. The Mexican team was winning 10-3 this match on the third competition day in the group stage of this sport discipline, created exclusively for people with visual impairment.

As soon as the event started, the Mexican trio was going ahead in the score.  Within the first 43 seconds, Tania Jiménez scored 1-0 for the Mexican team, while the Peruvian team did its very best to control the throws. However, despite their efforts, Mexico won 4-2 the first half.

At half time, all the fans stood up and started singing the classic “Cómo no te voy a querer”. They cheered and gave some words of support to the Peruvian Para athletes. The second half started with a goal scored by the Mexican María Angulo⁠— the top scorer of the match with four points⁠—, while the Peruvian Milagros Cotrina pulled off 5-3.

In the last minutes of the competition, the Mexican goalball players scored 5 more points, making a final score of 10-3 in their favor. As for Peru’s next competition, the national team will face off Brazil tomorrow, August 28, in the fourth match of the group stage.

Goalball: the sport born for people with visual impairment

Its origins date back to 1946, when this sport was created for people with visual impairment as part of a rehabilitation project for World War II veterans.

This discipline has been practiced in our country for about three years, but it was not until Lima 2019 that Peru finally entered both men’s and women’s team for the first time in the history of the Parapan American Games.

Goalball is a Parapan American sport consisting of two teams of six players each: three first team players and three substitutes, who are positioned in front of the goal to defend and try to score goals.

The court is similar to the one used in volleyball (18 meters long and 9 meters wide), with a goal on each side of the field and, as a main requirement, players must wear eyeshades to block the light.

The match lasts 24 minutes, and it is divided into two 12-minute halves with a 3-minute half time. The ball is made of rubber, weights 1.250 grams, and has bells inside that help players find it as they only have 8 seconds to shoot the ball. 

Matches are played in absolute silence, in order to allow players to hear the sound of the ball while it slides over the field of play

Around 50 children from the Miguel Grau school, located in San Luis, arrived at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games venue wearing the national soccer team jumper and watched every detail of the competitions at all times. They had the chance to enjoy some Para swimming events held at VIDENA’s modern Aquatic Center. 

These students came to event very early properly uniformed and in a very orderly manner to watch the performances of the continent’s best Para athletes. They were able to enter the venue thanks to the more than 35 thousand tickets provided to 57 schools in the Lima Metropolitan Area and Callao, in order to give children the chance to enjoy the different sports disciplines included in the sports program of the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. 

Students from San Luis were part of the campaign “Soy Lima”, where they learned a lot about sports values. Thanks to this campaign, 35,140 tickets were given to 57 schools: 22,121 tickets are for competitions during the daytime and 13,019 will be for competitions held in the evening.  

Therefore, students must be accompanied by their teachers, parents and/or personnel from the Regional Bureau of Education of Lima (DRELM) and Regional Bureau from Callao (DREC).  

Hopefully, this initiative will be an important experience, so that the paralympic values, such as courage and determination, become their motivation for young Peruvians. In addition, we have to remember that even though the path to success takes a long time, it is always possible to achieve our goals with dedication. 

However, they were not the only students that attended the Para swimming competitions. Students from the Liceo Naval and Hiram Bingham and also from the Santo Domingo de Manchay school came to the Aquatic Center in order to watch the high-performance Para sports like Para swimming, where the Peruvian Rodrigo Santillán who participated in 50 m backstroke.  

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