The curtain of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games came down with a great show.  The Closing Ceremony featured Peruvian singer Gian Marco, who presented a spectacular show before 50 thousand people at the National Stadium and 400 million of viewers around the world. The audience had the chance to listen to the charango during “Lejos de ti”. 

Everybody will remember this show as when he performed his hit song “Hoy”, the crowd started singing along. It was a chorus of 50 thousand voices singing “Hoy voy a verte de nuevo, voy a alegrar tu tristeza, vamos a hacer una fiesta pa' que este amor crezca más”. It is worth mentioning that Gian Marco is an artist loved and followed by thousands of fans. 

Since the party could not stop and everybody wanted to keep enjoying this show, the artist continued with another of his hits, “Sácala a bailar”. This song’s music video features Natalie Vértiz and had over 20 thousand views a few hours after its release. 

Of course the Peruvian music could not be left aside. Gian Marco sat down on the stage closer to his fans and ended his performance with the song “Contigo Perú”. The attending audience sang at the top of their lungs clapping and clapping. Little did they know the singer had another surprise prepared for them. After the show, they all left the National Stadium absolutely amazed. 

More than 50,000 spectators in the National Stadium and 400 million viewers worldwide enjoyed the unforgettable evening produced by the organizers of the Closing Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 

A magical evening full of Peruvian flavor was experienced in this ceremony, called “Dance of Diversity”, ending the sports celebration that brought the Americas together. Creative director Nikos Lagousakos, the talented production team of Lima 2019 and the prestigious Italian company Balich Worldwide Shows, world leader in the live entertainment industry, were responsible for this event. 

All began with a parade where all the athletes gathered to walk around the National Stadium field, led by the Peruvian delegation and their medals. At the same time, the 41 flags of the Americas were shown. The flagbearer for Peru was Gladys Tejeda, gold medalist in marathon.  

The spectators and athletes were thrilled to see a millenarian Peru represented in the Peruvian dances which quickly became the stars of the show. The dances were arranged by Fabricio Varela, director of the National Folkloric Ballet, featuring 955 artists on stage, including 893 volunteers. 

Pepe Corzo, garment and props designer, oversaw the creation of 1,000 eye-catching costumes, which amazed spectators at the closing ceremony. 

The music for the big farewell event was carefully selected by composer and arranger Lucho Quequezana, the musical director. 

The musical section, called Adios, Lima (Goodbye Lima), told a love story, with elements of the Peruvian dance Marinera, but in an unprecedented manner. The extinguishing of the Flame was portrayed by a dance couple and the memories of their love story were shown in the form of beautiful pictures.  

Underneath a spectacular chandelier of handkerchiefs, the couple performed the last part of their story. The female dancer blew her handkerchief to the air and the Flame died out. But just like a love that never ends, the Pan American Flame reappeared over them, transformed into a shiny chandelier, ready to come back to life in 2023. 

Chile, which will be home of the Santiago 2023 Pan-American Games, took over as the next organizer of the Sports competition. Three of their best-known musicians performed at the closing ceremony: the Chilean duo Power Peralta, of brothers Gabriel and Raúl Peralta, and singer Francisca Valenzuela.  

The ceremony paid tribute to the Peruvian jungle. The jungle soundscape called back all the cast and the most impressive work of Amazonian plastic artists was shown. 

The audience at the National Stadium was delighted with the performance of Naysha and her amazing skill with the charango, a small Peruvian guitar. DJ Shushupe got all the participants dancing to her colorful rhythm as the ceremony came closer to its end.  

The headline show was led by Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco. He delivered a spectacular performance and a surprise for the live and TV audiences of the Closing Ceremony of the Pan American Games.  

He first performed Lejos de ti (Far from you) and closed with Contigo Perú (With you, Peru). This heart-touching song was the surprise of the evening; the audience could not help but let their emotions out. 

Photo Gallery (click here) 

The President of the Organizing Committee of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games (COPAL), Carlos Neuhaus, recognized the incredible achievements obtained by the athletes that were part of this huge sports event that made Lima the new Sports Capital of the Americas.

In the Closing Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, held at the National Stadium, he said that we should acknowledge the strength, speed, skill, nerve, ambition and commitment of the athletes, but also their humbleness in the victory and their dignity in the loss. “Athletes of the Americas, you've shown us how to live and compete with the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect,” said Neuhaus.

When he thanked all the participants, he stressed this competition has provided our country with the best venues, worthy of the best world athletes and ready to be used by our youth. They will be the future sports champions, our golden generation.

In the emotional closing ceremony, Neuhaus thanked all the contributors that made this Games a success, especially the large and wonderful team of volunteers that made us all feel proud.

He added that Lima 2019 foresees a future full of opportunities for Peru because our country welcomed the most outstanding athletes with open arms, regardless of their nationalities, putting the world’s spotlight on us.

The COPAL president said these days helped us learn that sport can inspire our communities and trigger a transformation capable of changing our lives.

“We learned that, when the aspiration and strength meet, we can do great things. Thank you, Peru. These were your Games. This is your legacy. Go Peru! Let’s all keep playing,” concluded Neuhaus.

Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee (COPAL), ruled out that the first-rate infrastructure built for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games would be privatized, during the closing press conference of the Games, held in the Main Auditorium of the Press Center, in San Borja.

Neuhaus said that work is being done to find the best way to allocate a budget for the next few years, for the maintenance of all the sports venues where our athletes and future athletes will train.

“There’s no licensee; nothing is going to be privatized. There are people interested in undermining the success of the Pan American Games who are saying that the infrastructure is going to be privatized. We will find the best way to generate enough income for their self-maintenance,” he emphasized.

Neuhaus gave as an example the renovated San Marcos stadium, one of the venues of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, as the university itself will take care of its maintenance.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Oncethe Pan American Games had concluded, Neuhaus thanked all the athletes for their presence and the media for their amazing coverage that made it possible for the Games to be seen all over the world.

The president of COPAL acknowledged that the great challenge was transportation but, despite this, all the athletes arrived at their venues on time with the help of a team of international and national experts, who solved issues as they emerged.

He also said that the Lima 2019 organization is completely willing to support Chile with the execution of the next Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

He said that he has already spoken about with the president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, who is in Peru and that he has also met with Paoline Kanto, minister of Sports of Chile.

Without a doubt, the constant feature and trademark of the Pan American Games, which come to an end tonight, has been the unconditional support of Peruvian fans and the fans from different countries of the Americas. Their support has been recognized by outstanding athletes of the continental competition.

Kevin Martínez, gold medalist in Peruvian Fronton singles, highlighted the fact that this discipline of Basque pelota made its debut in the Pan American Games and said he was “very happy” to be the ambassador of this 100% Peruvian sport.    

“It’s an honor to represent this Peruvian sport that we’re slowly sharing with the world and to give Peru its tenth gold medal (of the Games),” he said.

Later, he welcomed the presence of the president of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, at the medal ceremony of his competition and revealed that the president is a former fronton player: “we’ve agreed to play a match to pick up fronton again.”

SUPPORT ON ALL COURTS

Karatekas John Trebejo, Carlos Lam and Oliver del Castillo reiterated how much it meant to them to win the gold medal in men’s team kata surrounded by the universal support of the public.

“This can unite us in order to move forward. Sports are a great tool for change. We’re happy and enjoying this celebration. We’ve been working for a long time. Carlos, Oliver and I are such good friends; I knew we could achieve something historic,” confessed John.

Likewise, Tamil Martino, silver medalist in stand up paddle surfing, said that he had never felt so much support and affection from fans in a competition before.

“That was crucial to us doing well as a team. We, as well as the Peruvian surfing community, are proud that we have been included in such an important championship like the Olympic-level Pan American Games. This is the first time that surf is part of a competition of this level and we were able to prove to Peru that Peruvian surf is a first-rate sport,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Brazilian Rafaella Silva, world, Olympic and Pan American champion in judo, was pleased to represent her country at Lima 2019 and with how this continental event will contribute to her preparation for the world championship.

Just a few hours before the closing ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games at the National Stadium, Gian Marco spent time to meet a group of excited fans.

Thanks to a contest promoted by Lima 2019 social media, the lucky fangirls had a warm encounter with the artist. Lima 2019 also awarded them tickets for the Pan American Games closing ceremony, where they will be able to see their idol live.

The singer, who will close the celebration, shared a moment with their fans this Sunday, on a hotel terrace in Miraflores, where the meet & greet took place.

In an unforgettable experience for a group of enthusiastic fans, they were able to make photographs and videos, and have autographs and direct contact with their idol, singer of greatest hits like “Sentirme Vivo” and “Sácala a bailar,” just to name a few.

Milco, the Lima 2019 official mascot could not miss this unforgettable moment and, of course, he greeted each of the lucky fangirls and posed with them for the official photo.

“Today, is not the end of the Pan American Games but the start of Peruvian sport. We hope we have inspired millions of young athletes of the Americas because this is a new start for all of athletes of our continent,” said Alberto Valenzuela, Lima 2019 general manager.

He thanked the almost 7000 athletes that arrive to our country, for being part of our history, in an unprecedented event that united Peruvians and millions of people of the Americas.

Valenzuela said that we have to look forward now, taking care of the legacy left by the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, and taking care of the sport infrastructure that turned our country into the new sport capital of the continent.

He also said that the second legacy we should protect is the social legacy, our athletes, the current and the ones to come in the next years, because they are a new inspiration for sport and the new heroes for our children and grandchildren.

The Lima 2019 General Manager also thanked all the people that came to the Games, because they have inspired a country, a whole new generation of young people and Peruvians that will build the most important legacy and the sport reserve in the years to come.

“I want to deeply thank all media and press on behalf of the Organizing Committee, for being part of this story, for having made history here.” he said.

If you visit VIDENA these days, you might get confused and start thinking that Lima 2019 has included the operation of remote control cars as one of its sports disciplines. While the discus, hammer, bullet and javelin competitions are taking place, these cars go round and round in the central field of the Athletics Stadium.  

But, these peculiar red cars are not operated by athletes, but by the camera operators of the great international team of Mediapro, the Host Broadcaster responsible for broadcasting all the Games sports competitions, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Of course, inside these cars, there are HD cameras instead of people.  

“The car is nothing more than a high-speed horizontal traveling that allows them to reach athletes. In this case, they are operated by two people: one controls the car and the other the head (the camera). Normally, when it is not the high-speed version, someone can operate it all at once,” explained Gustavo Fonseca of Mediapro, coordinator in charge of covering all the Lima 2019 sports disciplines.  

Sports in Screens 

The group Mediapro has its own department of special cameras. Few television production companies research and develop their own technology, which allows them to be more operational. Thus, Mediapro’s display of technology has been important at Lima 2019. About 270 cameras have been used.  

However, from a media perspective, there are particular sports that involve a greater challenge, such as swimming, gymnastics and, above all, athletics.  

“Although we try to ensure that the production challenge of all sports is balanced, I think it is quite obvious that athletics is th king of the Games,” said Fonseca. “Several factors are involved: complexity, popularity, return of audience and, consequently, commercial return of the Right Holders, etc.”  

In other important sports, such as gymnastics –which has already ended– and swimming, nearly 16 cameras were installed. In athletics, there were 24.  

Race Cameras 

Several wireless and mini cameras are located in many places of the Athletics Stadium. And then there are the most important ones:  

OMNICAM SPEED is a high-speed traveling to track athletes in the 100 m race. It has a horizontal traveling with add-on engine to reach the speeds athletes reach, and a stabilizing lens that allows broadcasters to slow down the athletes’ movements. 

“In swimming, for example, we also have another traveling, that is not high speed and has a double head: it features two cameras to track the swimmers' route, obviously with a much lower speed.”  

OMNICAM FOR SKY is an aerial camera. It has a technology similar to that used by fly cams and spider cams. Mediapro has used two at Lima 2019: one in athletics and the other in the ceremonies.  

Furthermore, the classic virtual graphics that we see on the screens is coupled to the cameras. This is widely used in swimming, jumping, and long distance athletics competitions. The camera has a system attached to its tripod that allows to vary the perspective and, consequently, the project virtual graphics in reality, so that jump distance can be seen on TV, and so on.  

Past and Legacy  

“I was not at Toronto 2015, but there are data that show the difference between those Games and Lima 2019: the number of live hours is double. We’ve broadcasted over 1200 hours live, and that is very different from what happened in the last Games,” assured Fonseca.  

In addition, the amount of sports produced live and the distribution to Right Holders is significantly higher.  

“All this historically creates a before and after Lima 2019. What we’ve seen here, in relation to the past, is very different. It had never happened before.”  

Fonseca is also responsible for Mediapro's Local Operatives Training Program, which will leave a great legacy in terms of the expertise acquired by hundreds of Peruvians in sports broadcasting.  

“It’s something that touches my heart. In the program, we trained 300 people thanks to the agreement that we established with the University of Lima and the casting we did to the local people. A hundred people joined our team. They’re working with us every day. It’s the legacy we leave. It’s in our DNA to teach them and then integrate them into our team. Some of them will go with us to the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay in November. There will be Peruvian camera operators.” 

Photo Gallery (click here) 

With a record attendance of over 300,000 people in 14 days, Culturaymi, the Lima 2019 cultural program, ended along with the Pan American Games at Parque de la Exposición with colorful parades, spectacular fireworks and the popular band Bareto, as a grand finale. 

Their most popular songs ignited the last night of the Fun Fest stage before thousands of spectators. "Ya se ha muerto mi abuelo," "No juegue con el diablo," "Mujer hilandera" and "Elsa" songs resounded at the auditorium and were sang by a euphoric crowd. However, the climax started with "Cariñito", one of its emblematic themes. 

A couple of minutes before, on the same stage, the theater group Yuyachkani performed “Con-cierto Olvido” and then Maria de Son, a band inspired by “tunantada” of the Valley of Mantaro with a contemporary fusion proposal. 

Culturaymi became the cultural festival during almost two weeks of intense days that showcased culture, entertainment, music on two stages, crafts, gastronomy, art, history and much more. Everything was done in one place, in a large space such as the Parque de la Exposición, and with free access.  

This enormous project uniting sport by promoting values and setting a great precedent in for the delivery of cultural activities in our country, returns on August 24 after the opening ceremony of the Parapan American Games and will end on August 31.  

It had a large number of spectators and the experience was very positive. There are already high expectations for its reopening on next Saturday 24 at the Parque de la Exposición and remember: access is completely free! 

Among the artists that will be part of this new edition of Culturaymi are Dina Páucar, Damaris, Pamela Rodríguez, Frágil, Colectivo Circo Band and Laguna Pai. 

There will also be plays for children and adults, dancing, workshops and parades. 
Milco, the official mascot of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games will also be there. 

Milco can also be found at the official Lima 2019 gifts shop, in various items that are ideal for gifts. 

Culturaymi is not over, it will return on August 24 with many options to promote culture and sport. 

The Head of State highlighted the enthusiasm and commitment of all Peruvians to host these Pan American Games.  

“The most important thing about these Pan American Games is that, from now on, the practice of these sports will be at its highest level. The Lima 2019 legacy is proving that all Peruvians can achieve everything we set our minds on with effort, enthusiasm and commitment."  

This way, the President of Peru Martin Vizcarra Cornejo summarized the successful development of the most important multi-sports event in the Americas. He added that even though the building of sports infrastructure is a remarkable achievement, the real legacy is having strengthened the cooperation among all Peruvians. 

The Head of State arrived at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center at 15:00 and observed each stage that Alexandra Grande went through to get to the Pan American gold medal. Along with Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, the Peruvian President cheered like a fan at the crowded Villa El Salvador Sports Center. 

After leaving the place, he said he was proud that Peruvian sport has far exceeded expectations and that these achievements are the result of effort and hard work considering the medium and long term. He also said that Lima 2019 must be an experience that helps Peru to continue along the same path, because “sport is key to human development, we must strengthen this work and make this investment for the benefit of the population.” 

The Peruvian Head of State had a meeting with Chilean president Sebastián Piñera before the medal ceremony. They talked about the Peruvian experience in these Games, as the southern country will host the 2023 Games.   

As for the President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, he stated that Peruvians should be proud to show the world that Peru can do something so magical and marvelous by working together. Carlos Neuhaus also said that these Games should be a milestone in Peruvian sport. 

“We believe the government should continue supporting sports. With these results, the population will understand how important sport is to people’s lives. I want to thank the whole country for their support and for having contributed to Lima 2019 success,” he emphasized.