The Pan American Torch Relay was the most significant prelude to the fantastic Opening Ceremony of the most important multi-sport event of the Americas. In this emblematic relay, that precedes the lightning of the cauldron of the National Stadium, the Lima 2019 ambassadors carried the torch that lit the most varied places of Peru and abroad.

It is important to remember that Lima 2019 ambassadors are athletes that, beside standing out for their sporting qualities over an award-winning career, also embody the essence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games values: excellence, friendship, respect, courage, determination, equality and inspiration. 

The ambassadors carried the symbol of the Pan American Games, named New Fire. Alexandra Grande, our main karate representative, was the first to carry the Lima 2019 Pan American Torch when it was ignited in Teotihuacan, Mexico, before it arrived in Cusco to connect the two ancient cultures of the Americas. Pilar Jaúregui, current Para badminton champion, also attended the ceremony.

Once in Peru, the world cup football player and Peruvian legend Héctor Chumpitaz had the honor of taking the relay through the main streets and avenues of the Miraflores district, surrounded by the people enthusiasm and applause.

One of the most important Peruvian surf representatives and two-times world champion Benoit “Piccolo” Clemente was also part of the relay in the city of Trujillo. Nicholas Fuchs, one of the most important Peruvian car racers, and five-times consecutive national champion between 2007 and 2011, also carried the torch.

In this amazing itinerary across Peru also participated Para athletes Luis Miguel Sandoval, athlete of 1500 m and 5000 m races for people with visual impairments, and María de Jesús Trujillo, who had great performances in Para swimming international tournaments and won the silver in Sao Paulo 2017.

SPREADING VALUES

Lima 2019 ambassadors were not only in charge of carrying the torch, they also gave their best to spread the Games values. They also shared the importance of the great four legacies for Peru of the multi-sports event: a social-educational, sporting, economic and urban heritage.

ABOUT THE AMBASSADORS PROGRAM

The Organizing Committee of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games (COPAL) developed the Ambassadors Program to promote, through outstanding athletes and Para athletes, the sport, Olympic and Paralympic values, using different communication platforms.

They were classified as medalist, legend and value ambassadors. The actions executed included visiting schools in 14 districts were competition venues are located, participating in Lima 2019 activities, among others.

This was the moment all Peruvians and over 400 million viewers were waiting for. The lighting of the Pan American flame caught everyone’s attention as it marked the official start of the Pan American Games. This flame will light the largest multi-sport event in the continent.

The torch was lit on an replica of Machu Picchu, Peru’s main tourist attraction. Edith Noeding, who claimed the gold at the Mexico 1975 Pan American Games and participated in the Munich and Montreal Olympics was chosen as the first torchbearer of the ceremony.

Additionally, two young athletes participated in the ceremony torch relay: Romina Ariana Baltazar Miñan, who will compete in judo at 14 years old, and Carlos “Nano” Fernandez, champion at the U15 ITTF Table Tennis World Championships.

The highlight of the ceremony came when Lucha Fuentes received the torch. She won the silver medal at the San Juan 1979 Pan American Games, claimed the South American title six times and ranked 4th in at Japan 1967.

Finally, the Olympic Cauldron was lit by Cecilia Tait, called “The Golden Lefty”, on the top of the Machu Picchu replica at the National Stadium. She is one the best Peruvian volleyball players in the world, won the silver medal at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games and is part of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. She is a sport star all Peruvians are proud of. 

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The opening ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held today at the National Stadium. This continental event will gather 6680 athletes from 41 countries and delegations from the Americas.

There will be 17 days of competitions and ceremonies during July 26 and August 11, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao. Some of the venues are the VIDENA, Villa María 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 62 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.

The Pan American torch relay, which lasted 23 days and traveled through several Peruvian cities, has finished. July 26 was an exciting day; the end of an unforgettable route started a new one: the 2019 Pan American Games.

Lima was the last city in the Pan American Flame relay. A total of 54 torchbearers relayed the flame along the 9-kilometer journey, which included the districts of Miraflores and Surquillo.

The relay started at 11:00, when the torch left the BAP Unión on the coast of Callao, to head to Los Yuyos beach. Then, it went along Av. Benavides, Av. Larco, Av. Pardo and arrived at Malecón Cisneros, where physician Ricardo Pun lit the first cauldron. Former tennis player Luis Horna and former football player Héctor Chumpitaz also participated.

The Pan American Flame then arrived in Surquillo. The journey started at the Casa de la Juventud of the district and continued on Av. República de Panamá, Av. Angamos, Av. Principal and Av. Villarán, ending at the Carlos Moscoso Stadium on Av. Tomás Marsano. Journalist Mónica Delta, former World Surfing Champion Sofía Mulanovich, Lima Major Jorge Muñoz, President of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games Organizing Committee Carlos Neuhaus, and Peruvian Football Team’s goalkeeper Pedro Gallese participated. It was the latter who lit the central cauldron.

Julie Freundt was the closing act for the celebration in Surquillo, making everybody dance.

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee presented the Lima 2019 Pan American Games official chocolate today. It is called Milco, manufactured by Casa Magna and made with Peruvian cocoa.

Milco chocolate is made with 35% Peruvian cocoa under high standards of quality. “It was made with a lot of effort and love to stay in the heart of all Peruvians and visitors who will participate in the Games,” highlighted Countess Isabel de Mauleon de Bruyeres, Manager of the company.

Meanwhile, Jaime Reusche, main advisor for the Senior Management of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, thanked Casa Magna for its initiative and contribution, and highlighted the eye-catching packaging which portrays the various sports disciplines which make up the Games.

It was named Milco after the Games mascot, which is in turn inspired by the "Cuchimilco", a clay statuette representative of the Chancay culture.

Photo gallery (click here)

Just a few hours before the Pan American Games opening ceremony at the National Stadium, everything is ready to experience a true celebration of sports in the Americas. This was assured by the official spokesperson for Lima 2019, Carlos Manuel Lazarte, at the usual press conference for accredited media.

“Besides the participation of internationally renowned artists such as Luis Fonsi or Juan Diego Flórez, we will have 1700 people on stage. The rehearsal was very successful!” he emphasized.

The gates of the National Stadium for the 2019 Lima Pan American Games Opening Ceremony will be opened this Friday, July 26, at 15:00. Spectators will be able to enter until 7 pm, just before the beginning of the show.

He also highlighted the satisfaction shown by the 41 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with the development and organization of the event. “At the Chefs de Mission Meetings, at the General Assembly, they celebrated the fact that Lima—and Peru—have been able to build world-class sports venues in such a short time,” he said.

ROAD PLAN

Street closures on roads near competition and ceremony venues was the last topic discussed by the Lima 2019 spokesperson, who urged citizens to use public transportation and avoid private vehicles.

It must be noted that the entrance for the Opening Ceremony will be at the north zone, and the access roads will be Av. Bauzate y Meza and Calle José Díaz.

Furthermore, traffic will be closed along some sections of the following avenues: Arequipa, De La Peruanidad, Pardo de Zela and Manuel Candamo, Manuel del Pino, Mariano Carranza, Alejandro Tirado, Montero Rosas, among others. Learn more at www.lima2019.pe.

TICKET PURCHASE

Carlos Manuel Lazarte informed that there are tickets available for the preliminary rounds of many competitions and he urged the public to buy them in order to offer their encouragement to the athletes at the various sport venues.

“There are tickets available for some preliminary rounds. People can buy them on the Lima 2019 website: lima2019.pe/tickets. They can also be bought on the Teleticket page or at one of the 11 points of sale across the city,” he said.

These points of sale are set up at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco and the Metro and Wong supermarkets in Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.

Photo: El Comercio.

In the world tour of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) everybody knows each other. They compete against one another, many times during the year, and they would inevitably face off at the Pan American Games. The Lima 2019 semifinals will be more emotional, mostly because the Peruvian Diego Elias is looking for an unprecedented gold medal.

In fact, defeating the American Todd Harrity this morning has secured him at least the bronze medal, after reaching the semifinals. Tomorrow at 10:00, he will face off Mexican Cesar Salazar, taking the first step to the gold medal he was denied at Toronto 2015. This time, he will try to dedicate a victory to the crowd packing out the Volleyball CAR at VIDENA. His rivals regard him as the man to defeat.

“I know Diego (Elias) all too well. We've had very tough encounters on the field”. He's a player with a good present and a bigger future, with a remarkable technical and physical evolution that has allowed him to reach a good position in the world ranking. Today, defeating him is a big challenge and we will try to take advantage of the psychological aspect in this game,” said Cesar Salazar.

The other singles semifinal will be played by current Pan American champion, Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez, and the tournament surprise, Argentinian Luciano Pezzota. Aged 33, Rodriguez believes that Elias still has lots of potential to keep making his way up the world ranking.

“Diego (Elias) is a player with everlasting talent and he's only 22. He has the ability to be a reference player for the Americas when I retire. He has become a complete player who has improved his physical performance remarkably; he handles the ball well at the corners of the court; plus, he doesn't have to move so much because of his height. He still has a lot to offer,” added the Colombian player.

If you want to follow our fellow Peruvian, buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets and at the authorized Teleticket sales stands at Metro and Wong in the following districts: Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.  It is worth mentioning that a new point of sale has recently opened at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Surco.

SQUASH AT LIMA 2019

Squash at the Pan American Games comprises men's and women's categories and singles, doubles and team events. There will also be a mixed doubles event. There will 36 male athletes from 12 countries and 24 women from 8 countries.

Besides Elias, Peru is represented by Alonso Escudero and Andres Duany in men; while Pia Hermosa, Ximena Rodriguez and Alejandra Zavala will be the female athletes in the national delegation. The draw for the seven events will take place on July 23 at 14:00.

Peru secured its first two medals at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The eventual color will be decided tomorrow. That is because Diego Elías, in the world's “Top 10” for squash, reached the semifinals of the individual squash tournament by beating American Todd Harrity 3-0 in the quarter-final match at CAR VIDENA.

The victory, with game scores 12-10, 11-5 and 11-5 (in 30 minutes) allowed him to qualify to the semifinals of the competition taking place tomorrow. There, he will face Mexican César Salazar who, in turn, defeated Maximiliano Camiruaga (CHI) 3-0.

Squash is one of the sports that awards a gold medal, a silver medal and two bronze medals in each event type.

Past 10 o'clock in the morning, and in front of a cheering fanbase, Peru secured its second medal when the pair made up of Diego Elias and Alonso Escudero defeated the Colombian pair, Juan Vargas Heredia and Andres Herrera, 2-0 (11-2 and 11-10).

The Peruvian team will face the winner of the match between the United States and Bermuda in the semifinals.

The Pan American Games, whose Opening Ceremony will take place tonight at the National Stadium, began last Wednesday with beach volleyball and handball events.

Adrenaline rush. At the Morro Solar, 34 athletes (20 men and 14 women) will ride in hills, on climbs and descents, and overcome extreme obstacles in the mountain cycling competition, Cross Country discipline. It will take place on Sunday, July 28, at 9:00, when the women's competition begins.

Two and a half hours later, at 11:30, the men's event will begin in this circuit, which takes athletes to test their limits through an exhausting climb, demanding a great deal of effort. The competition lasts between 1 hour 20 minutes and 1 hour 40 minutes for both men's and women's events.

Mountain cycling,  known worldwide as mountain bike (MTB), is a discipline in which women and men compete separately on a natural trail, mainly mountainous, with technical sections of climbs, descents and plains. Athletes ride their bikes over various obstacles such as rocks, trunks, narrow areas (single track), at full speed. It is a highly impressive demonstration of strength and precision.

Street Closure Plan

To ensure that athletes can compete without any setbacks, the Organizing Committee and the Peruvian National Police – PNP, informed that the street closure plan for this competition will begin on Saturday, July 27, from 23:00 and end on Sunday, July 28 at 15:30, after the medal ceremonies for both disciplines.

During this period, Avenida Cipriano Rivas will be closed to traffic and only pedestrian entry will be allowed for spectators who will cheer on competitors, through the tunnel leading to La Herradura Beach. Northbound, Circuito de Playas will be closed from this beach up to the location of Salto del Fraile restaurant.

Recommendations

The Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games Organizing Committee has some recommendations for the spectators who will be supporting the athletes during this competition:

• Do not throw objects to the competition track.
• Do not throw water at the athletes.
• Do not interfere with the marathon circuit.
• Do not bring pets because they can run away and can interrupt the competition.
• Respect the road closure to be in force during the competition.

About Lima 2019

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will start on July 26, 2019 with a ceremony that will be held at the National Stadium and will gather more than 6680 athletes from 41 countries from all over 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. And to make it more interesting, a total of 21 disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

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.The most qualified athletes from 13 sports will get places at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

With seven consecutive national championships and the confidence that those championships have given him, Kevin Martínez—Peruvian representative of the paleta fronton discipline—assured that he is going for the gold medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

“My grandfather and uncles played paleta fronton competitively. It was a family weekend plan to go and watch them play, compete in finals and win them. (...) I also got onto the court to play between matches,” he said, talking about his beginnings in this 100% Peruvian sports discipline.

He added that, when he was nine, they enrolled him in his first national tournament. “They (My family) thought they were going to intimidate my opponent, but they intimidated me instead and I lost the match,” he said as an anecdote.

He added that the real lesson of the anecdote was that, if he wanted to be as good as or better than his grandfather and uncles, he had to be tenacious and passionate about what he wanted. Now he is 27 and he has not stopped playing fronton any year.

“At the age of 16, I knew I'd do this for a living and become an ambassador for Paleta fronton. No matter what your sport, business, career or dream is, you can't stop until you've made it,” he emphasized.

NO OVERCONFIDENCE

Even though Kevin Martínez earned his place at Lima 2019 in the November 2018 qualifiers without losing any set, he is not over-confident and respects his next opponents.

“Argentina, Mexico, Cuba and United States are the five countries that qualified out of more than 10 countries. I won after playing against great opponents. They are the best Basque pelota players, and paleta fronton is one of its categories. They will fight to get the medals,” he said.

He confided that there is extra pressure for him to win the gold medal because paleta fronton is a Peruvian sport, but he believes he has a very good chance to get the gold.

“You can dream, but if you don’t train to win, it'll be hard to achieve it. I want to take paleta fronton around the world and I'm trying to find a way to promote it,” he said while asking fans to root for him from the stands to reach Pan American glory.

He invited the public to buy their tickets on the Pan American and Parapan American Games website: lima2019.pe/tickets or on the Teleticket website.

Tickets for Lima 2019 competitions can be purchased at the 11 points of sale set up at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco and Metro and Wong supermarkets in Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.