The Operations Center was activated by the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee after the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games. This center gathers officers from 10 strategic departments of the National Police of Peru (PNP), representatives from Lima municipalities and from the Organizing Committee, who will solve, as soon as possible, any emergency or contingency that may occur during competitions.  

Guillermo de la Puente, head of the Lima 2019 Operations Center, explained that the group comprises safety and security experts. They aim to execute plans prepared by the organization to prevent unforeseen events. 

“The important thing is that the National Police of Peru, their specialized departments, the delegates of municipalities in which venues of the Pan American Games are located, and the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee are all in one place. They will join efforts so that this sports celebration can be developed successfully,” he said.  

The Lima 2019 Operations Center is located at the Lima Convention Center. Participants include experts from the National Police of Peru (PNP); Departments of Transit, Transport, and Road Safety; Intelligence; Security; Criminal Investigation; Counter-Terrorism; Criminalistics; Lima Police Region; Callao Police Region; Administration and Logistics; and Police Health. All of them are able to solve any security-related problem during the Games. 

This center is also supported by representatives from the Municipality of Lima and from other districts, which will coordinate inspection, embellishment, cleaning, transport and security tasks. 

The participating districts of the Lima 2019 Operations Center are Chorrillos, Jesús María, La Molina, Miraflores, San Miguel, San Luis, San Isidro, Punta Negra, Villa El Salvador, Bellavista, La Punta, Villa Maria del Triunfo, San Borja, Santiago de Surco, Pachacamac, Asia, Mala, Lunahuaná and Végueta.  

There will be 17 days of competitions and ceremonies between July 26 and August 11. 

About Lima 2019 

The Opening Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games was held at the National Stadium on July 26, 2019. It gathered 6680 athletes from 41 countries of the Americas. 

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will include 39 sports and 61 disciplines, in which athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. A total of 21 disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

Meanwhile, 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, and thirteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. 

The flame was lit in Teotihuacán, Mexico, but only a day later, it began its path in Peru. The flame arrived in Cuzco on July 3. After touring along the coast, highlands and jungle, it finally lighted up the capital of Peru. The districts of Miraflores and Surquillo were in the spotlight on July 26.

Sailor Stefano Peschiera started the relay at 13:00 carrying the torch along the beach circuit. It ignited the festive mood that continued through this historical evening. 

Sports and entertainment celebrities, as well as politicians, carried the 54 torches that lighted up Lima before the unforgettable opening ceremony. 

The first legends of Peruvian football to continue the relay were Héctor Chumpitaz, known as the “Captain of the Americas,” and Percy Rojas, a former member of the Peruvian football team. Journalist Alexandra Horler, also involved in the world of sports, carried the torch in the last meters of the tour in Miraflores. 

One of the greatest surprises was Mexican goal scorer Jared Borgetti, who was part of this continental celebration. Jared, along with former Argentine tennis player Javier Frana, and former hockey player Mechi Margalot, of the international network ESPN covered this celebration. 

The Pan American Flame moved to the district of Surquillo. It was 15:00 and celebrities continued to join. Peruvian renowned journalist Monica Delta was one of the most applauded torchbearers. 

The flame was approaching the hands of the Peruvian goalkeeper, Pedro Gallese, who eagerly waited to light the cauldron. Before that, world surfing champion Sofia Mulanovich received a standing ovation and walked 150 meters with the flame. 

Near the Municipal Stadium in Surquillo, where Pedro Gallese was waiting, the torch was taken by Lima Mayor Jorge Muñoz. Music, dances, and plenty of colors filled the streets on the last meters of the journey, just a few hours before the Lima 2019 Opening Ceremony starts. 

Finally, the President of the Pan American Games Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus, relayed the torch to Pedro Gallese. The goalkeeper, 2019 Copa América runner-up, lighted the cauldron to continue with the great celebration hours later in the National Stadium.

All families get together for Peru's Independence Day celebration, so this an excellent opportunity to enjoy the Cultural Program of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games CULTURAYMI, which will put Peru in the spotlight.

This Cultural Program will take place at Parque de la Exposición, where various stages have been set: Fun Fest, Morisco Stage, Milco Area and Let's All Play Area so that the general public can enjoy Peru's cultural diversity.

On Saturday, July 27. La Banda de Pedro Suarez Vertiz, Los Mirlos, Josimar and Deyvis Orosco will perform. In addition, Liberato Kani, Las Respondonas, Wendy Sulca, UCHPA and Sabor Control will offer shows.

On July 28, a traditional dance tribute to the Señor de los Milagros will take place, and then Hermanos Chávez, Los Cholos, Lucho Quequezana and Fabiola de la Cuba will take to the stage.

Los Mensajeros de La Selva, Ezequiel and Teresa Granda, Manuelcha Prado, Tunantada, and Bartola, with her vast musical repertoire, will also participate.

On the same day, two theater shows called “A la Capital” will be performed.

On July 29, Fray Masías, Rosa Guzmán, Kanaku y el Tigre, and La Mente will offer performances. They will be joined by Victoria Villalobos, Tayta Edbird, Perú Salvaje and Chintata.

And on July 30, the audience will enjoy performances by La Renken, Temple Sour, Tierra Sur and Olaya Sound System.

It should be mentioned that the CULTURAYMI Cultural Program activities will continue until the end of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games.

CULTURAYMI will show the world the best of Peruvian culture and will provide an entertainment alternative to Peruvian and foreign audiences. While the sports competitions are taking place, Culturaymi will be held at Parque de la Exposición starting on Saturday, July 27.

The 46 winners of the cultural project contest from the CULTURAYMI program will show their talent in different categories: Art for social transformation, visual arts, clothing design, visual arts, performing arts and music. They were the winners of the call made by Lima 2019, which had a large number of entries.

Many districts are part of Lima 2019 Cultural Circuit. Ate, Barranco, Callao, Pachacamac, Pueblo Libre, Lima, Magdalena, Miraflores, San Miguel, San Borja, San Isidro and San Luis are part of the cultural initiative, supported by LIMA 2019.

Everyone continues to talk about how amazing the Opening Ceremony of the Pan American Games was; an unforgettable night for all those who were at the National Stadium and the over 400 million people who followed every moment of this celebration that lit up the Lima night sky.

Such was the reaction that #Lima2019 became a worldwide trend. Many people from all over the world shared messages about the Games through Twitter.

At the end of the day, #Lima2019 became the third trending topic worldwide, with more than 50,000 tweets. This had not happened lately to events related to Peru.

In countries such as Brazil, #Lima2019 was the seventh trending topic on Twitter. Today, Gladys Tejeda also became a trending topic after winning the Lima 2019 marathon.

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The Opening Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games was held on July 26 at the National Stadium. This continental event gathers 6680 athletes from 41 countries and delegations from the Americas.

There will be 17 days of competitions and ceremonies between July 26 and August 11, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao at various venues like VIDENA, Villa Maria Sports Center, Callao Regional Village, Villa El Salvador Sports Center, Punta Rocas, among others.

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will include 39 sports and 61 disciplines, in which athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. A total of 21 competitions are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Peru is shaking in excitement after the spectacular Lima 2019 Pan American Games Opening Ceremony, which put Peru in the eyes of the world, and the first Peruvian gold medals in marathon.  

Renowned Peruvian runner Gladys Tejeda picked up the gold medal in the marathon, after running 42 kilometers and setting a record of 2:30:55. 

Additionally, Peruvian Cristhian Pacheco added a victory and new record after winning the gold medal in the men’s marathon. He set an outstanding time of 2:09:33.  

Amid all this joy, Lima 2019 spokesperson Carlos Manuel Lazarte described the Opening Ceremony as “spectacular”. “There were more than 30,000 spectators at the National Stadium and 400 million viewers around the world,” he said after being congratulated by accredited Peruvian and international journalists during a press conference to report on competitions.  

THE STAGING TOOK A YEAR 

He also explained that the opening ceremony staging took almost a year and was produced by Balich Worldwide Shows, an Italian company recognized for its live shows. 

He mentioned one of the ceremony’s magical moments, the duo of the great Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez and the unforgettable Chabuca Granda, which was possible thanks to technology. He assured the celebration experienced at the National Stadium went beyond expectations.  

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE 

The Lima 2019 representative invited people to buy tickets for the various competitions as they are still available. 

Carlos Manuel Lazarte reminded everybody that tickets can be purchased on the Lima 2019 website: lima2019.pe/tickets. Tickets can also be bought on the Teleticket website, http://www.lima2019.pe/tickets, or at the 11 points of sale set up at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco and the Metro and Wong supermarkets and stores in Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco. 

In tune with the enthusiasm and joy of the spectators, the Peruvian long-distance runner Christian Pacheco added a new victory for the country and broke the Pan American record in the biggest multi-sports event of the Americas, by winning the gold in men’s marathon. After crossing the finish line, with an incredible mark of 02:09:33, he was received by the President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus, who congratulate the athlete.

The race of 42 exhausting kilometers was accompanied by the applause and ovation of the spectators. The start line was the Parque Kennedy, and the course crossed San Isidro, Lince, Jesús María and Lima districts.

With this result, Pacheco breaks his personal record at the Buenos Aires marathon held in November 2018, where he was crowned South American champion with a mark of 02:11:01.

In addition, Pacheco adds a new record to Peruvian athletics and puts Peru on the spotlight.

Marcela Castillo, the girl who began her training in the discipline of taekwondo poomsae at the age of 8, reached her greatest achievement in her tireless rise. Castillo, two-time gold winner at the Trujillo 2013 and Santa Marta 2017 Bolivarian Games, wowed hundreds of fans with her routine at Callao Sports Center.

Castillo scored 7.530 points in the judges’ overall results, only behind Mexican Paula Fregoso, who won a gold medal after scoring 7.660. American Karin Real reached the third place (7.510 points).

Unlike taekwondo kyorugi (combat), poomsae is a mixture of defensive and offensive movements against an imaginary opponent within a set contest area. The routine, which is evaluated by a group of judges, needs to be good in terms of agility, elasticity, technique, accuracy and artistic presentation.

Photo gallery (click here)

In front of a crowd that gave her a rapturous ovation, renowned Peruvian runner Gladys Tejeda won the gold medal in the marathon, after running 42 exhausting kilometers and setting a remarkable record of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 55 seconds. As she crossed the finish line, she was praised and congratulated by Lima 2019 Organizing Committee President Carlos Neuhaus. 

With her time, Tejeda has set a new Pan American record.  

The athletes ran through the districts of Miraflores, San Isidro, Lince, Jesús María and Lima, in front of large crowds of spectators who did not stop cheering on the athletes.  

It should be noted that Gladys Tejeda became Peru's main representative in the discipline, as Inés Melchor could not participate due to injury.  

This way, Tejeda’s victory reclaims Peru’s position as the host of the most important multi-sports event in the Americas, as well as leaving a remarkable record in the Pan American all-time medal table. 

Hugo del Castillo understood that this was the best atmosphere to leave a lasting impression at Callao Sports Center. The Peruvian athlete was passionately cheered on by fans during his poomsae routine, which earned him a silver medal after the judges' overall count. 

Del Castillo managed a score of 7.490 and was marginally surpassed by American Alex Lee, who won the gold medal after scoring 7.660. Mexican Marco Arroyo reached the third place with 7.480. Del Castillo has now crowned an outstanding Olympic cycle with his silver medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. 

Photo gallery (click here)

If we thought the Opening Ceremony would be spectacular for its brightness and staging, the music full of Peruvian identity featured in the parade of the 41 delegations participating in the event touched the hearts of thousands of Peruvians.

Eighty-five songs are included in the Pan American Games playlist, released for free by the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee on Spotify (https://cutt.ly/FCVPzH). The playlist comprises song of Peruvian artists from different musical genres.

If the staging of the Opening Ceremony captured 4000 years of Peru’s ancient history, its music gave the National Stadium attendees an opportunity to relive the best hits of their national music, with genres such as criolla, rock and cumbia.

The mastermind behind this mixture of melodies was Lucho Quequezana, musical director of the Opening Ceremony. This beloved composer was in charge of the musical arrangement. He paired up with the talented team of Lima 2019 and the renowned Italian company, Balich WorldWide Shows, to chose the songs that made everyone dance at the National Stadium.

Lucho Quequezana is part of the group of top professionals who put on this wonderful show.