After a long time, hundreds of families attended the stadium of the National University of San Marcos to watch the football match between the Peruvian U23 team and Jamaica at the Pan American Games.

It was gratifying to see fathers, mothers and children at the stadium, enjoying the game of the Peruvian team. 

In the first week of August, most minors are on their mid-year vacations. It was good to see them with their parents at this remodeled venue, where the football competitions are taking place.

The constant support of the crowd was seen when the team coached by Ñol Solano tried to score many times.

Fans who support the Peruvian senior football team also attended the match between Peru and Jamaica. They did not stop encouraging and singing traditional chants such as “Como no te voy a querer si eres el Perú bendito que me vio nacer”. 

They sang until the end of the game with the traditional bass drum and horns.

Culturaymi offers different dishes for visitors that can be found in food trucks inside an exclusive area at the Parque de la Exposición. 

As usual, Peruvians really enjoy eating, and this is no exception.

There are options for all tastes: from a cheap choripán, to a tasty chancho, or pollo a la caja china with carapulcra or chaufa, to hamburgers with crispy French fries or a salchipapa.

The delicious Arequipa cuisine could not be absent and, as usual, offers the famous dobles or triples, rocoto relleno, zarza, and chicharrón de cerdo In our tour we also have the ever-present anticuchos with potatoes, handmade wraps stuffed with nikkei pork, lomo saltado, pollo a la brasa, and vegan options. There are also warm empanadas stuffed with meat or chicken, hot coffee, chocolate, and other infusions. In addition to the extraordinary cultural events, a delicious meal is also important.

Fruity emolientes also help fight the cold and low temperatures of this winter season. Natural emolientes of camu camu, blueberry, burgundy grape, strawberry and passion fruit are very popular and attract long queues who search new flavors.

The cold winter has made businesses earn more money with their hot drinks. Other flavors that can be found in the gastronomy zone at Culturaymi are the emolientes of lemongrass, mint, eucalyptus and lemon verbena, which have healing properties.  

TODAY'S AGENDA MONDAY, AUGUST 5

“LET’S ALL PLAY” ZONE
17:00 LA LEYENDA DEL PAJARO FLAUTA - Show 2 (Theater play for children)

MILCO ZONE
18:55 CAMILO VEGA
19:55 ZAV
20:55 YARDIGANS
22:00 CAMPO DE ALMAS

Villa María del Triunfo district was the stage for an exciting fan battle, as part of the match between Peru and Venezuela,for the preliminary round of women’s softball. This sport brings together the most experienced players in the Americas. 

During the match, Peruvian fans claimed their status as hosts with their usual chants, while Venezuelan fans sang their own softball chants.

Both fanbases cheered on their teams in each inning, trying to outdo each other in terms of passion and energy at all times. In each grandstand, fans sang so joyfully that the stadium came alive with celebration. It seemed as if the championship final were taking place.

The match result was not favorable for Peru, as they lost 5-3 against the Venezuelan team. In spite of this, Peruvian spectators’ support remained constant until the end of the match. With this event, the opening day of women’s softball competitions came to an end.

The Peruvian women’s softball team coach, Manuel Llames Cabrera, stated that “fans are the eleventh player, so their presence is very important for us. Their constant support is very valuable because they can see the results of the team’s demanding training.”

At the end of the match, the Peruvian team thanked their fans for cheering on them. Even though the Peruvian team did not win, it remains clear that they will always be supported by their fans in upcoming competitions.

Tomorrow, Monday, August 5, Miguel Valencia will represent Peru in men’s trampoline gymnastics. He will try to win the gold at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 

Valencia will face off the representatives of Dominican Republic, Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba. 

Furthermore, Peru will seek to win a medal in groups in rhythmic gymnastics (three hoops and two pairs of clubs). They will compete against groups from the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada. 

The Peruvian team that will participate in this sports discipline is made up of Camila Rodríguez, Aitana Orrego, Georgina Vidalón, Carmen León, and Flavia Paula León. 

Argentina, Colombia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and Dominican Republic will be featured in women’s trampoline gymnastics All of these competitions will take place at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center.  

As for rhythmic gymnastics, athletes will take part in the clubs and ribbons finals, hoping to claim the gold, silver or bronze. 

The clubs finals will feature representatives from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina. Meanwhile, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, Colombia, and Canada will participate in ribbons. 

The springboard diving finals will take place at the VIDENA Aquatic Center. There, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the United States and Canada will compete for the gold. 

Likewise, the first medals will be disputed in table tennis and fencing, sports that have attracted hundreds of fans as reflected in the ticket sales.  

The Argentinian, Brazilian, Chilean and Mexican handball teams made it to the semifinals of the Pan American Games and will also compete for a spot on the podium tomorrow, Monday, August 5.  

The final handball match will take place at the VIDENA Sports Center 1, and the stands are expected to be packed. 

There will also be other competitions such as equestrian, hockey, Basque pelota, water polo, racquetball, softball, and sailing at the different venues of the Pan American Games. 

The Pan American Games will be held from July 26 to August 11. It will feature 6680 athletes who will compete in 39 sports and 61 disciplines. Twenty-one of these disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

With an overwhelming joy, the same that thousands of fans that fill up every day the different sports venues of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games share, the volleyball silver medalist at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, Cecilia Tait, qualified as a “great honor” to have carried the Pan American Torch.

The outstanding former volleyball player, who was in charge of lighting the cauldron at the Lima 2019 Opening Ceremony, thanked the massive support of the Peruvian public in the different disciplines in which Peru is competing.

She also said that she will attend the basketball and athletics finals, as she recalled that last Friday she was enjoying a good basketball match at the renovated Eduardo Dibós Coliseum in San Borja, a venue she qualified as “wonderful”.

PROMISE FULFILLED

Cecilia Tait was also rooting for the Peruvian pair Ángela Mori and Francesca Vargas in their table tennis match, where they faced the Dominican pair Esmerlyn Castro and Yasiris Ortiz, in table number 1 at the Sports Center 3 of the National Sports Village (VIDENA).

The results aside, what remains is the support shown by the former South American volleyball champion to our compatriots. “Let me dream,” she said to a fan of Dominican Republic, who celebrated the triumph of her compatriots in advance.

Her presence in this table tennis match has an explanation that goes back to her training days with the former technical director of the volleyball national team, Man Bok Park.

“When we arrived late to a training session, Man Bok Park would made us run. And where do you think we ended up? In table tennis. I have learned something. I interviewed Ángela Mori, and I told her that I would be there to cheer her. I kept my word,” she said.

It is worth mentioning that Ángela Mori will have another chance to win a medal for Peru on Monday, when she faces Yadira Silva from Mexico in singles, starting at 11:00, in table 1 of the Sports Center 3 of VIDENA.

The clamor of the fans had a main role in the debut of the Peruvian women's water polo team against Mexico, by the preliminary of group B in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

In this context, the grandstands of this venue at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center were pigmented by a characteristic red and white, which the fans carried to testify that the entire Peru was playing. 

They gathered together to claim the performance of the seven athletes who represent Peru for the first time in this sport at the Pan American Games.

Despite the adverse outcome against the experienced Mexican team, they did not lose their bravery. The unconditional support of the Peruvian fans was essential to score a discount from the hand of the youngest player of the Peruvian squad, Nizerrat Gauthier.

“I was thrilled to see my cousins, aunts and grandmother motivating me from the grandstands to score a goal. The relatives of my teammates attended as well. And when you're in the water, the words of encouragement motivate you to keep going because you realize that you play the role of representing Peru,” stated the Peruvian by the end of the game.

The clock strikes 13:00 at the Pan American Village and delegations are entering the wide dining room or going to the Lima Culinary Tour, section. They immediately go to the ají de gallina: that mixture of yellow hues, of hen pieces with chopped nuts, Parmesan cheese, coriander and olives. One of the many typical foods we have and became Lima 2019 MVP.

This way, this typical food joins the podium, along with quinoa—a millenary cereal that has conquered the world—, of foods that have drawn much attention and are now enjoyed by athletes.

Giorgio Mautino, mayor of the Pan American Village, expressed his satisfaction because everything is working well: not only the food distribution for athletes, but also the transportation times of athletes for their competitions, cleaning of the bedrooms, security in the Sports Center, and health.

In a nutshell: zero complaints in the first competition week and he trusts everything will continue this way until the end of the greatest multi-sports event in the continent.

He explained that the work, mainly of Sodexo's team in the kitchen, is to highlight: a total of 700,000 meals are expected to be served until the end of the Games, during 22 hours a day. This is because the dining room works in two shifts to be always attentive to the needs of the athletes and for the elaborated variety in the buffet. Athletes can choose among many options: Peruvian food, meat, carbohydrates, salads and fruits.

On his part, Aldo Cardini, head of the chefs of Sodexo, the company in charge of the catering service provided to the athletes, pointed out that they have made a combination of international and Peruvian foods, such as solterito, salpicón, salads, mote soup, tomato and mushroom cream, pescado a la chorrillana, which are enjoyed by the delegations at the Pan American Village.

He also pointed out that the attention, approximately by hour, is of 1200 people, being the dinner the moment of greater demand and concentration, between 20:00 and 21:00 hours In addition, a new space has been implemented for the preparation of 400 wok dishes daily inside the dining room, among which are arroz chaufa, saltado de pollo, and lomo saltado.

For this reason, two shifts of work have been distributed so that the transition in the distribution of food never stops: a staff of 600 people is in charge of the preparation of food, the selection of organic products that are used in the kitchen, kitchen assistants, chef, nutritionists, a whole army of professionals who make everything go well.

Finally, Cardini explained that almost 600 kg of bananas, a ton of animal proteins (meat and chicken), 200 liters of soup, and 600 liters of natural fruit juice are consumed daily.  

Great hosts. Hundreds of people, both Peruvian and foreign, flooded the streets of Miraflores district to enthusiastically cheer on the athletes participating in the much-anticipated race walking event at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The Peruvian team took part in both men’s and women’s events.

The spectators showed their commitment to the athletes by respecting the rules for the event: not throwing objects to the competition track, not throwing water at the athletes, not taking pets and not obstructing the circuit. The duly announced road closure was also complied with by the public.

As a result, the sports event unfolded without any interruptions, displaying a high quality in terms of organization. The #LetsAllPlay motto was embraced by the spectators, who wore t-shirts and flags of their respective countries to root for their national athletes.

Among the spectators were the relatives of Kimberly García León, silver medal winner in the women's 20 kilometer event. They praised the athlete’s “feat” considering she is injured.

“We’re proud of her for this new record. What she did today was quite a feat because she has a knee injury. Even so, she made a huge effort and won a medal for Peru. Long live Peru!” said her mother, Gabriela León, who was carrying her own stopwatch to measure her daughter’s time. They arrived from Huánuco.

Mayor of Lima Jorge Muñoz awarded the medals to the women’s event winners. The gold medal went to Colombian Sandra Arenas, while Peruvian Kimberly García and Brazilian Erica Sena were awarded silver and bronze, respectively.

Another member of the Peruvian team was Mary Luz Andia, who is only 18 years old. She finished in the 10th place. “I’m satisfied with my performance. I’m young and I still have a lot to give. This is part of my experience and I’m sure that I’ll have better results soon because that’s what I’m training for,” she explained upon reaching the finish line.   

In the men’s event, the gold went to Ecuadorian Brian Pintado, the silver medal was for Brazilian Caio Oliveira and the bronze medal was awarded to Guatemalan José Barrondo. The only Peruvian who took part in this competition, José Mamani, was disqualified.

This was exciting. The surf competitions finished on Sunday with the medal ceremonies for the winners of the different modalities, including the Peruvian surfers who obtained many medals and gave Peru the seventh gold medal. 

The Surf High Performance Center (CAR) at Punta Rocas beach gathered thousands of fans who got excited with each wave ridden by the Peruvian team and Luca Mesinas the last Peruvian representative in winning the gold medal, the third one in a day. All this after the Surf Open men’s final meant his qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.  

Martin Vizcarra, the President of Peru, was in charge of awarding Luca and Leandro Usuna from Argentina (silver medal) and Brian Pérez from El Salvador (bronze medal). 

The medal ceremony was full of emotion from the public who inspired by the Peruvian flags also cheered up the gold medal won by Daniella Rosas. The medal was awarded by the Lima 2019, Organizing Committee President, Carlos Neuhaus. 

At 17, the young athlete was also able to qualify for next year Olympics. Benoit “Piccolo” Clemente also received a well-deserved gold medal in Longboard from the Peruvian head of state before an excited crow at the Surf High Performance Center at Punta Rocas. 

The head of state also awarded silver and bronze medals in these competitions to Julian Schweizer from Uruguay and Cole Robins from the US. 

It was also exciting to see medals ceremonies for silver medalists María Fernanda Reyes in this discipline and Tamil Martino and Vania Torres in stand up paddle men and women. 

 Itzel Delgadowho obtained a bronze medal in stand up paddle. This was a Sunday full of Peruvian pride since we went up the ranking. 23 medals ( 7 gold, 6 silver and 10 bronze) 

If you still do not have a Lima 2019 souvenir, you can now choose your favorite item at the Organizing Committee stand during Culturaymi, the cultural program of the Pan American Games currently being held at Parque de la Exposición in Cercado de Lima. 

The weather in Lima is quite cold these days. To fight it, there is nothing better than a hot cup of coffee served in the Lima 2019 mugs. They come in two sizes, both in red and blue. If you are still feeling cold, you can buy a windbreaker or the chullo-scarf, a two-in-one garment. They come in gray and black. 

The wide array of souvenirs also includes caps, towels and hypoallergenic stuffed toys of Milco, the Games mascot, as well as backpacks and 500 ml water bottles. Any of these will make a lasting memento of this sports event. 

Other merch on sale includes the tasty ‘Milco’ 90-gram chocolate bar, produced with Peruvian cacao, and colorful keyrings of our lovable mascot in various sports disciplines. Of course, pins and magnets are also available, making ideal gifts for friends and family. 

Fans are gathering at the Games merch stand to buy the items still missing in their Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games memorabilia collection.