He is a man of few words but with so much talent. Miguel Miñope Farro held his latest creation with both hands: sweet bread in the shape of Milco, the lovable Pan American and Parapan American 2019 mascot, while recounting its creation process. He would not give away his recipe, but he did reveal that it took him 10 hours to shape and bake his beautiful masterpiece.

“It takes a lot of patience to make it. Just one mistake and everything's ruined,” he said seriously. Immediately, his face changed. Miguel, who only wanted to show his work, found out that he could go onto the Pan American Games stage at Chiclayo Main Square. The unexpected was about to happen. Miguel smiled for a moment; apparently, he had become aware of what was happening. He realized he would become part of Chiclayo and Peruvian history.

Miguel, aged 53, has devoted 30 years of his life to bakery. He inherited this art from his parents, helping to feed dozens of people from Chiclayo who buy his bread at his “Miñope” bakery, located at the intersection of Jirón Sucre and Diego Ferré in Monsefú. His children did not follow this family tradition as he would have wished, but they did not go on a totally different path, His four children have studied Gastronomy at a professional level, so Miguel feels as proud of them as his Monsefú hometown is proud of him.

While it is true that it is not the first time he has made sweet bread in special shapes, now it was different because it was for such a major event as the Pan American Games. Although Miguel did not carry the Torch, the experience left him with a spiritual flame in his heart and memory, which he will never put out. “I feel so honored and proud of being part of this. We are lucky – these things don’t happen every day,” he told us before he went to the stage and gave away his masterpiece to the Torch Relay organizers, who saw this present as a token of all the public affection shown daily throughout the Torch route.

Members of the Peruvian sailing team took a break from training on the way to Lima 2019 to get involved in an environmental initiative which is aimed at preserving the sea in Paracas. Renowned windsurfer María Belén Bazo gathered the best Peruvian sailors who put their hands to work, joined by local volunteers and school students.

The activity took place this morning on El Chaco beach at the Bahía de Paracas, which will host Lima 2019 sailing competitions. Sailors Stefano Peschiera, Alessio Botteri, Matías Panizzo, Renzo Sanguineti, Francesco Puliatti and Jean Paul de Trazegnies helped collect over 50 bags full of plastic waste from the Peruvian sea.

“We sailors spend all day at sea and, actually, it’s just horrible to see more and more garbage in our beaches. In this activity, we managed to take out plastic bags and even old tires. They’re not supposed to be here. I hope this makes us Peruvians aware of the need to take care of the environment,” stated Bazo.

Peschiera, in turn, was glad to see the people’s cooperation. “I’m proud to be doing this environmental work to help our beaches. I think it’s important to spread these values to the younger generations, like those schoolchildren who helped us take so much plastic out of the sea. I do hope we Peruvians think twice before polluting our sea,” remarked Peschiera.

SAILING AT LIMA 2019

Sailing competitions will take place at the Peruvian Yacht Club in Paracas from August 3 to 11. In total, events in nine categories will be held, including two men’s events (Laser standard and RS-X), three women’s (Laser standard, RS-X and 49er FX), two open (Sunfish and Formula Kite) and three mixed (snipe, Nacra 17 and lightning).

The races will take place on a course marked by colored buoys placed by the race committee. The orientation of the course will be set up so that the first leg of the race will be to windward (except for Kite Foiling, which will have a reach start), with the starting line at right angles to the wind.

Bahía de Paracas is considered the best location for sailing races due to the wind that blows over the seaside during certain hours of the afternoon, which enables boats to reach high speeds. The competition zone comprises an aquatic area with a minimum area of 35,000 square meters, unaffected by currents.

To follow the Peruvian team, buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets and at the authorized points of sale, Teleticket from Metro and Wong, in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.  It is worth noting that a new point of sale has recently opened at Jockey Plaza shopping center, located in Surco.

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The opening ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium in July 26, 2019. This continental event will gather 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 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 61 disciplines, in which athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. A total of 22 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. Thirteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Find the full gallery here

Monday, July 20—. Carlos Neuhaus, president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee (COPAL), stated that the main mission during his administration was to fulfill a State commitment: to make these Pan American and Parapan American Games a success.

“We couldn’t let the country be ashamed before the Americas and be known as a country that fails to fulfill a commitment. That was our main motivation,” he said this morning in a radio interview.

“On July 26, it will be two years and 10 months since I took on this challenge, that Peru had also taken on as a host country in October 2013. We dedicated to work as hard as possible and we didn't focus on seeing what happened before, because if we continued digging into the past, we wasted time. That will be taken care of by others.”

He explained that if the commitment had not been fulfilled, the fee would have been 50 million dollars, and other sports competitions could not be organized in the country for 10 or 20 years.

On the other hand, he assured that a saving was made possible in the execution of the initial budget: the master plan included five billion PEN, but only four billion, three hundred million PEN have been used.

“We have tried to save money everywhere. For example, the master plan included that we had to build 39 towers in the Pan American and Parapan American Village; a breakwater in La Punta, which would have cost like the Village. Well, instead of 39 towers we built 7, and instead of the breakwater—which would have been a huge legacy, but was a cost we couldn’t afford—we moved the venue for rowing competitions to the Albúfera de Medio Mundo in Huacho, which is amazing.”

GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT

Neuhaus also highlighted the government-to-government agreement with the UK as one of the most important and wise decisions in this demanding process.

“The British Government hired the best representatives in the world: the project looks like the United Nations. They have helped us, for example–in the case of the most difficult works–with the NEC (New Engineering Contract) contract modality, acting as the central project office, where bids were made, and with our approval, contracts were awarded, agreements were signed, and the inspections started. We could not afford to fail, so it was better to work with people who had already done it before, and had already made mistakes: there was no need to reinvent the wheel. Likewise, we currently have technicians and professionals who are being hired for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Regarding the start of the competitions, he stressed that the 21 sports that will be qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 will attract the leading sports figures of the Americas, and this number of people also represents a recognition to the work performed by the organization.

“The Toronto Pan American Games only included 12 sports that were qualifiers for the Rio Olympic Games, which means that as time went by, these sports increased. This means that the best athletes from the Americas will come to secure their tickets to the Olympic Games,” he explained.

THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT SPORTS EVENT

Regarding the Opening Ceremony, he revealed that–after the Pan American Torch ceremony in Teotihuacán, Mexico, and its arrival in Peru–the Torch will be transported by the “Unión” ship, one of the largest and fastest sailboats in the world, which has won international regattas in the United States and Canada, from Callao to Lima; finally entering the National Stadium where the ceremony will be held.

“We are going to show Peru's history. In two hours and twenty minutes, we are going to show the Inca era, the popular culture, there will be Peruvian Paso horses, Caballitos de Totora, etc. Additionally, Juan Diego Flórez, who was already preparing his orchestra since we took up the challenge of the Lima 2019 Games, will be part of this celebration.”

Finally, he confessed that the most important challenge for him are the Parapan American Games: to make all sport venues accessible and to change the civic mindset of Peruvians regarding people with an impairment.

“We are working very hard so that the municipalities design the streets for people to move in wheelchairs throughout the city. We have to make everyone understand that there are people who don’t have the same luck as we do, and the best way to achieve this is catching their attention through emotional experiences, showing how these amazing Para athletes do sports in a wheelchair and manage to overcome great challenges.”

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The Opening Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium on July 26, 2019. This continental event will gather 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 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 61 disciplines, in which athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. A total of 22 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. Thirteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Click here to see the photo gallery

VIDENA is becoming increasingly colorful. The surroundings of the most important sports venue of Lima 2019 show a colossal image of the Games mascot, Milco, painted on the water tank located at the intersection of Canadá and San Luis avenues.

This work of art is part of the urban art that Lima 2019 is spreading across the city; in terms of size, it is the most impressive example.

The Pan American and Parapan American Games mascot—painted on the water tank—looks over the district of San Luis from above. The tank was originally white and now it is full of radiant colors. As the competitions begin, Milco will be like a huge totem that will watch over all the athletes inside the sports center.

Other Artistic Works

At the same time, inside VIDENA—on the path that connects the Aquatic Center, the Velodrome and the Athletics Stadium—various murals express all the passion and adrenaline that sports trigger and will result in spectators filling the venues in just seven days. One of the murals reads: “Together, we will make it far”.

Moreover, ten Peruvian athletes who will participate in Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games were portrayed by nine artists. These artists were selected through an open call on social media.

They had the emblematic facade of Moscoso Stadium in Surquillo as canvas, where they showcased all their talent. The artwork is part of the Lima 2019 ‘Muros que Unen’ campaign. This initiative is aimed at encouraging other municipalities, apart from Surquillo, and the general public to offer their districts' walls and have artists fill them with colors and passion for sports.

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The opening ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium in July 26, 2019. This continental event will gather 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 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 22 disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The Parapan American Games will welcome 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries, who will participate in 17 sports and 18 disciplines. Competitions will take place from August 23 to September 1, 2019. Thirteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

On Sunday July 21, the city of Cajamarca will come alive when the first torch is lit at 15:22 at the Baños del Inca tourist complex. Then, the Torch will begin a 7.5-kilometer journey, reaching emblematic landmarks such as the Santa Apolonia viewpoint and ending at the Main Square, where the cauldron will be lit.

One of the Peruvians who will light up the city with the Pan American Flame is Chardin Mijahuanca. He is a young man who, despite his limited finances, has been able to deliver moments of joy to neglected elderly people or gravely ill children. The city of Cajamarca has acknowledged and praised his efforts.

Another torchbearer will be Michel Cueva, a brilliant mind from Cajamarca. Although only 26, he has already taught at 10 universities, and is a leading specialist in hydraulic modeling. He is currently carrying out important projects in Mexico.

It is worth noting that, while the city of Cajamarca is celebrating, another special event will be held eight kilometers away, at the Ventanillas de Otuzco, also on July 21 at 15:00. There, another two torchbearers will raise the Pan American Flame.

Softball will be another sport to feature in Lima 2019, in both men's and women's events. The Peruvian men’s team, which will participate in the Pan American Games for the first time, is working intensely to be in optimal condition for the competition. The team will be training in Santo Domingo until Monday, July 22.

The team has gained a lot of experience thanks to the inclusion of two recently naturalized Peruvian citizens, Venezuelans Eyzer Mujica and Daniel José Ramírez.

“I thank Peru for welcoming me with open arms. I will fight for the Peruvian team at the Lima 2019 Games,” stated Daniel Ramírez, who plays as an outfielder. He has been living in Peru for four years.

Before traveling to Santo Domingo, the team trained every day to get ready for this great challenge. They trained at the Lima 2019 softball venue, Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. As a team sport, cohesion and understanding between all players are essential. “We’re not only teammates, we’re a family. We get along well and that makes us strong,” pointed out Diego Riquelme, pitcher in the Peruvian team.

About their rivals: “They’re the top Pan American teams. Argentina recently beat Japan, became world champion and is coming to Lima to fight for the gold medal,” said Diego.

“I look forward to fighting for Peru and to putting my heart and soul into it. I'd like the stadium to be full, with no room left for anyone else to enter,” added Daniel.

Softball competitions will be held in three rounds for seven days. The first stage will have a round-robin format and the top four teams will advance to the semifinals. In these matches, the first place will face the second and the third will play against the fourth.

The Peruvian men’s team will make its debut against Cuba on July 25, at 16:00. It will then play against Mexico on July 27 and against Venezuela on July 28. Both matches will also be at 16:00. The following day, they will play against the United States at the same time, and their last match will be against Argentina on July 30 at 18:00.

The winner of the first pool will advance directly to the Grand Final. Meanwhile, the loser of the first pool will face the winner of the second pool in a stage called final. The winner of this match will advance to the final round, the Grand Final, and will face the winner of the first pool for the gold medal.

The competition will take place at Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. You can buy your tickets at www.lima2019.pe/tickets or at the authorized points of sale located throughout the city.

“Please make an effort to buy your tickets and go to watch us, so you can enjoy the best sport in the world,” concluded Diego Riquelme.

See the fixture below

Twenty students from Alfonso Villanueva Pinillos School from Pucará, Cajamarca—in complicity with their teachers and principal—decided to interrupt lessons to wait for the Flame that lights us all at kilometer 117 of Av. Belaúnde Terry, Pucará. They were hoping to stop the flame route for a moment so that they could join this celebration.

They managed it. The caravan passed by the spot where they were waiting on Thursday July 18 at exactly 10:30. They spent some minutes being photographed with the torch and the entourage that is taking the Flame across Peru. Now, these photos decorate the school’s notice board. “I allowed lessons to be interrupted because I want the children to identify as Peruvians. This celebration makes us feel proud of being Peruvians. The Pan American Flame makes us learn about and love Peru even more,” said James Cubas Vásquez, principal of Alfonso Villanueva Pinillos school.

July 25 should be highlighted and in all capital letters on the Peruvian fan’s agenda once the Pan American Games starts. That day, the Peruvian squash representatives will make their debut, specially Diego Elías, Professional Squash Association (PSA) top player and top contender for the gold.

After competing in different top competitions and beating the Colombian Miguel Ángel Rodríguez in the global ranking, Elías, considered the world’s 8th best player, is in his best conditions for Lima 2019. Both contestants will face each other one more time, just as they did at Toronto 2015, and will definitely seek to reach the top of the podium. In contrast to what happened in Canada, Elías will not be satisfied with the silver this time.

The squash competitions will take place in the Volleyball High-performance Center (CAR) at the VIDENA and will have point-a-rally scoring system (PARS) of up to 11 points. In the event of a tie, 10 to 10, the match will be defined by a difference of two points. The winner will be the one who plays the best-of-five sets. The event will have a direct elimination format and there will not be without any additional round.

Here is the chart for the first three days:

Support the Peruvian team and buy your tickets atwww.lima2019.pe/tickets or at any authorized Teleticket point of sale located at the Metro and Wong hypermarkets in the Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel, and Surco districts.  It is important to mention that a new point of sale has been opened recently at the Jockey Plaza shopping center, in Surco.

SQUASH AT LIMA 2019

Squash during the Pan American Games will include men’s and women’s categories in singles, doubles and teams; and a mixed doubles event. Thirty-six men from 12 countries and 24 women from 8 countries will compete at the Lima 2019 Games.

In addition to Elías, Alonso Escudero and Andrés Duany will represent Peru in men’s. On the other hand, Pía Hermosa, Ximena Rodríguez, and Alejandra Zavala will complete the Peruvian delegation in the women’s category. The draw for the seven events will be held on July 23 at 14:00.

Boxer Luis Miranda to Make Peru Proud at Pan American Games.

Totally focused in his training, Miranda is ready to compete at the Pan American Games and make his country proud. He will represent Peru at this international sport event.

He is sure this Games, which will be held in Peru for the first time, are an opportunity for all national athletes because they will be able to achieve great results not only in boxing but also in other disciplines.

“I’m 100% focused. I trained in Bogotá with athletes from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Puerto Rico at a high-altitude. I’ve gained a lot of experience by training with wrestlers from all the countries that are currently participating in the Games,” he said.

This is his second participation in the Pan American Games, so he is trying to control his weight to be fit for the competitions.

Miranda also mentioned all athletes feel motivated by this international event as the competition-level is high due to the participation of world and Olympic champions in several sports and disciplines.

He added that, through this event, the media focus more in amateur sports, which have also brought joy to the country.

“I would like to ask all fans to support us just like you root for the Peruvian football team. We want to feel your excitement and your support to the athletes that will represent Peru at the Pan American Games,” stressed Miranda.

Luis Miranda, known as ‘’The King’’, will represent Peru in -69 kg welterweight in boxing. He wants to make his country proud in one of the world’s largest sporting events: the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Besides, he has an eight-year-old daughter, who is his reason for living, and he hopes to become one of the best athletes in the welterweight class. Mauro Mina and his coach, Alberto Rosell, are his main inspiration to continue improving himself.

First Fight

His first fight will be on July 28 at Miguel Grau Coliseum in Callao. The competition draw will take place the day before, on July 27, so boxers can know their opponents beforehand.

Buy your tickets

To support your favorite representatives, you can buy your tickets at the official website of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games: www.lima2019.pe.

Also, you may purchase your tickets at the authorized points of sale in the Metro and Wong hypermarkets located in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel, and Surco.  It is important to mention that a new point of sale has been recently opened at the Jockey Plaza shopping center, located in the district of Santiago de Surco.

The Pan American Games will be held from July 26 to August 11 with the delegations of the 41 participating countries that will compete in 39 sports and 61 disciplines. Twenty-one of them are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Overall, 6680 athletes will participate in this event.

Juan Antonio Silva, Lima 2019 communications, commercial and marketing Manager confirmed that over 1500 journalists from around the world, accredited to cover the Pan American and Parapan American Games, are already equipped with “amazing” conditions to perform their tasks at the Main Press Center, which started its operations at the Lima Convention Center (LCC) in San Borja district.

“I could see the offices of Televisa from Mexico, Torneos y Competencias from Argentina and ESPN from the USA at the International Broadcast Center. Over 400 million people will follow the competitions, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pan American and Parapan American Games, as well as the cultural program,” he said.  

THE HEART OF THE PRESS

The Main Press Center has a room with capacity for 200 journalists of the printed media and 100 photojournalists. In addition, there are two workstations, one for the international news agencies and the other for the official press delegations of the National Olympic Committees. These workstations will have all the required services.

These areas have Internet access, Wi-Fi, plugs and 160 lockers for photographers, who will have access to technical support for the repair and maintenance of their equipment.

LARGE PRESS CONFERENCE ROOMS 

There are also two press conference rooms provided by the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee for the media. One of these rooms has capacity for 250 people and has audio and video services, as well as simultaneous interpretation services.

The other one has capacity for 100 people, all the aforementioned equipment and consecutive interpretation services. Both areas have platforms for television broadcasting.

COMPLEMENTARY SERVICES

The LCC has exhibitions and services designed and implemented to make the work of accredited press more pleasant, such as the Casa Peru, ATMs and the Main Help Desk, where journalists can pick up their press kits.

A restaurant for the press will start operating at the fifth floor of the LCC on July 22. Journalists will also be provided with transportation to and from competition venues, hotels, the Jorge Chávez International Airport and the Lima Convention Center.