The celebration of Peru’s independence day did not go unnoticed during the second day of Culturaymi. Families poured in to tour the facilities and spent the day surrounded by excitement and relaxation. The Parque de la Exposición was jam packed with thousands of visitors who enjoyed each one of the amenities, savored the food in the gastronomy zone, shared their patriotic wishes on a mural and proudly sang along to the songs of the schedules artists, this unforgettable July 28.

The excitement and celebration came hand in hand. Morisco, Los Mensajeros de la Selva, Ezequiel, Teresa Fuller Granda—daughter of renowned composer, Chabuca Granda—, Manuelcha Prado, Tunantada Adex and Bartola performed on stage. They dazzled the crowd and made it clear that the best part of participating in Culturaymi was their connection with the audience.

The same can be said for the Fun Fest stage. The audience was moved by the dance in homage to the Señor de los Milagros, followed by Hermanos Chávez and their acrobatic dances with scissors and, finally, Los Cholos. But there was still more to come. Lucho Quequezana, the one-man orchestra (literally) and creator of the popular Pan American Games Opening Ceremony playlist, also took the stage. 

Fabiola de la Cuba closed the night with her new show “Tuttay Quilla,” a review of the folklore of a global Peru, with magical singing and graceful dancing. All these performers were at Fun Fest, amid a magnificent display of light, sound and color. 

Thanks to the impeccable production of Culturaymi, talented artists received applause for each of their performances and reaffirmed their patriotism on the imposing stage.

CULTURAYMI PROGRAM
TODAY, Monday, July 29
Parque de la Exposición (Av. 28 de Julio and Garcilaso de la Vega)

FUN FEST AUDITORIUM
18:20  Fray Masías
19:10  Rosa Guzmán
20:45  Kanaku y el Tigre
21:30  La Mente

MORISCO STAGE
17:15 Victoria Villalobos
18:35 Tayta Edbird
19:55 Perú Salvaje
21:15 Chintata

Photo gallery (click here)

Tennis, one of the most anticipated sports in the continent, starts on Monday, July 29, with the best representatives of the Americas, whose greatest reward, in addition to the glory of being champions, is their qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The international competition will take place at the Lawn Tennis de la Exposición Club courts, in Jesús María, where the matches will begin at 10:00 so that families can watch and enjoy this sport. One of Peru’s representatives, Nicolás Álvarez, will debut against Cuban Yoan Andrés Pérez at this time. 

The following players will compete at the same time: Rowland Philips from Jamaica and Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina, Alberto Alvarado from El Salvador and Stefan González from Guatemala, Kenny Turcios from Honduras and Federico Zeballos from Bolivia, and Jody Maginley from Antillas and Kyle Johnson from El Salvador.

The second round of matches will start immediately, before noon. At that time, Nicolás Mejías from Colombia and Víctor Estrella from the Dominican Republic, Manuel Sánchez from Mexico and Wilfredo González from Guatemala, and Sean Williams from Barbados and Franco Roncadelli from Uruguay will also compete. The following matches will also take place: Sam Riffice from the US against Francisco Llanes from Uruguay, Osmel Rivera from Cuba against Alejandro Obando from Honduras, and Haydn Lewis from Barbados against Juan Alejandro Hernández from Mexico.

Once these matches end, another series of matches will begin, such as Sergio Galdós from Peru against Justin Roberts from Bahamas. The women’s competitions will also begin, such as the match between Canadian Jada Bui and Colombian María Camila Osorio, seeded eighth in the tournament. 

Additionally, Bolivian Noelia Zeballos will also compete against Canadian Alexandra Vagramov, As well as Meli Reasco from Ecuador against Guatemalan Andrea Weedonm, Marcela Zacarías from México against Argentinian Catalina Pella, and Montserrat González from Paraguaya against Caroline Delohide from the US, seeded fourth in the tournament.

PERUVIAN DEBUT IN WOMEN’S TENNIS
In the afternoon, the last five matches of the opening day of the tennis competition will take place, where Peruvian Dana Guzmán will make her debut against Mexican Renata Zarazúa, seeded sixth. Moreover, Chilean Fernanda Brito will compete against Argentinian Nadia Podoroska, seeded seventh. 

Simultaneously, Chilean Daniela Seguel, seeded fifth, competes against Guatemalan Melissa Morales, and Ecuadorian Charlotte Paredes faces Argentinian Victoria Bosio. In the same time slot, the first men’s doubles match will take place between pairs Alberto Alvarado and Luis Mireles from El Salvador and Kevin King and Michael Redicki from the United States.
 
There are still tickets available for the competitions. To buy tickets please go to the Pan American and Parapan American Games website: lima2019.pe. You can also buy tickets on the Teleticket website: https://teleticket.com.pe/lima2019.

You can also buy your tickets at the booth set up at the Jockey Plaza shopping center, in Santiago de Surco. This new point of sale is an addition to the 10 points of sales already operating at 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.

The crowd at the Miguel Grau Coliseum in Callao experienced a night of boxing like in its heyday. Hundreds of people gathered to cheer on the Peruvian boxers; the loudest applause went to José María Lúcar. The Peruvian boxer defeated Mexican Francisco Cantabrana by unanimous decision. Lúcar advanced to the semifinals of the 91 kg weight division and secured at least a bronze medal for Peru.

In the Pan American Games, boxing does not require a fight to settle the bronze medal. Therefore, the two boxers who do not qualify for the final automatically take third place on the podium. Nonetheless, on Tuesday 31, Lúcar will try to beat Ecuadorian Julio César Castillo to make it to the final. In the other semifinal, the favorite, Cuban Erislandy Savón, will face Brazilian Abner Teixeira.

Tickets for these events are available at lima2019.pe/tickets and at Metro and Wong Teleticket point of sales in 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.

Boxing at the Pan American Games will be disputed in three intense rounds in the 10 men’s and women’s weight divisions. Quarterfinals are the first stage and will be disputed from July 27 to 29. Then, semifinals will take place on July 30, while finals will be held on August 1 and 2, in sessions starting at 19:00.

As well as all the Lima 2019 sports facilities, our historical Parque de la Exposición–now the Culturaymi venue–is also a walkable and accessible place for people with an impairment. Any visitor, without exception, can walk through the different booths and stages of the park that are connected by ramps and halls.

Culturaymi combines all the sports world effervescence with the diversity and richness of the Peruvian culture. Only on its opening day, over 18,000 people–all of ages and physical conditions–visited its booths.

The Lima 2019 Accessible Signage Manual outlines the accessibility standards for the design of the signage and spatial orientation components that must be displayed in all Lima 2019 venues. Therefore, apart from communication roads between booths, there are access ramps, elevated platforms for wheelchair-users, signage in each zone, as well as ten totems with information in Spanish, English, Quechua and braille code.

One of the guest artists for the opening concert of this festival was Josimar. During the event that took place on July 30, he showed a sign of closeness to the impaired public that was watching the show from an elevated platform. The salsa singer got off the stage to greet them and take a photo with them.

Lima 2019 was a unique opportunity for Peru, as it allowed the country to create an inclusive infrastructure, adapt it to the highest international accessibility standards, and raise awareness among the citizens.

Impaired Artists

But Culturaymi is not only about the impaired public. Nine entrepreneurial artisans with an impairment also participate in this cultural festival as representatives of the SINUTRADIS Association, a national union for impaired workers. You can find their booth in the “Milco Zone”.

Félix Espinoza (62) is a painter and was born without forearms. He is part of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, just like the Peruvian Para swimmer and artist Dunia Felices, who will compete at the Parapan American Games. “She’s studied in Bellas Artes and other institutes. She’s really talented. I always tell her to keep going because pursuing an art career is difficult and requires a lot of effort. You have to be persistent,” revealed Félix about Dunia. Besides, Félix is the father of the Nicole Espinoza, an artistic gymnast who will represent Peru in the Pan American Games. “Even if she fell or hurts herself, she’d keep going. Sometimes she’d removed the plaster to keep training,” he said.

Diana Fuentes (47) got burned when she was two and had her hand amputated. She now knits layettes for babies with a stick and a crochet. You can buy her designs in the booths. “Culturaymi is very interesting. It gives us the opportunity to showcase our abilities and demonstrate that we can be useful to our families,” she mentioned.

Cristina Falcón (39) has had polio since she was nine months old. She makes ecofriendly bags, with designs and embroideries, now that plastic bags are prohibited to protect the environment. “Lima 2019 has given us an opportunity as an association.  People from all over the country have come here,” she said.

Photo gallery (click here)

Expectations are running high at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, as an unusual instance of the Pacific Derby will take place tomorrow, when the Peruvian women’s hockey team faces off Chile as part of the preliminary matches for Group B.

The game will start at 16:00 on the sixth day of the Americas’ most important sports event. It will be part of a variety of events taking place, some of which will determine which delegations will reach the podium and pick up the most medals.

This is the case of basketball 3x3, as the gold medal winner will be defined after a long competition day starting at 9:00 and ending at 13:30, to take place at Eduardo Dibós Coliseum.

Canoe sprint will also see a long competition day from 9:00 to 13:30 at Albufera de Medio Mundo in Végueta, Huaura. The event will define the men’s and women’s champions.

Meanwhile, the winners of men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, one of the most representative Olympic disciplines which is part of the Games, will be defined at Villa El Salvador Sports Center, starting at 13:00.

Women’s weightlifting will also define gold medalists in the 64, 76, 96 and 109 kg events at Mariscal Cáceres Coliseum, starting at 12:00.  Triathlon is among Lima 2019’s most demanding sports. The competition will start at 9:00 at Agua Dulce beach, eventually defining the gold medal winner.

TAEKWONDO IN CALLAO

Taekwondo is one of the main martial arts turned into an Olympic sport. The teams will face an intense day competing for the gold at Callao Sports Center, starting at 8:30.

Beach volleyball matches will continue at Costa Verde, starting at 9:00. Shooting events will also continue at the Las Palmas Shooting Range from 9:00 to 11:00. In addition, tennis games will start at Club Lawn Tennis de la Exposición.

 Surf events will also start at Punta Rocas Sports Center, going from 9:00 to 16:20, while two squash sessions will take place at 9:00 and 16:00. Meanwhile, there will be three exciting softball matches from 10:00 to 18:30.

ARTISTIC SWIMMING BEGINS

Artistic swimming events will start at the VIDENA Aquatic Center, going from 12:00 to 20:30. Another sport whose competitions will start is badminton, taking place at VIDENA Sports Center 3 from 9:30 to 19:30. 

Today, there will be competitions in the following sports: Handball, baseball, bowling, boxing, equestrian, water skiing and football. Check out the competition calendar at: https://www.lima2019.pe/resultados.

There are still tickets available for competitions. To purchase them, you can enter the Pan American and Parapan American Games website: lima2019.pe. You can also buy your tickets on Teleticket website: https://teleticket.com.pe/lima2019.

Alternatively, you can do so at the stand located at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco. Or at the 10 points of sale currently operating at Metro and Wong supermarkets in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.

Neither the cold weather of Lima could turn down the mood and excitement of almost 500 spectators among family, friends, and fans, who came early in the morning to find the perfect location and encourage bikers to succeed in the Cross Country event at the Morro Solar circuit in Chorrillos.

The women's competition started at 09:00 in a professional circuit of 30 km, where a total of 14 athletes rode through complicated hills, extreme obstacles, and blind and narrow curves in a total of six laps. But they felt the road less difficult because fans were cheering them on.

Mexico's Daniela Campuzano won the gold medal, Argentina's Sofia Gomez won silver, and Brazil's Jaqueline Mourão bronze. Peru's Lucero Rubio, 20 years old, did not make it to the podium but fans clapped enthusiastically and took pictures with her when the competition finished.

“It’s my first Pan American Games, and I feel thrilled to have had the chance to compete with girls who are in the world’s top.  I was motivated due to the fans' energy; the circuit was great;and I want to thank the Federation for its support,” Lucero stated.  

As for the men’s competition, which started at 10:30, a total of 20 athletes competed at a circuit that included seven laps of 4 km each. The race was demanding, and athletes required both technique and physical endurance.

Mexico's José Ulloa, who arrived at the finish line with no complications, was awarded the gold medal. Brazil's Henrique Da Silva was awarded the silver medal and Chile's Martin Vidaurre, bronze. Peruvians Rolando Retamozo and Alexander Urbina competed at challenging Morro Solar circuit and were ultimately disqualified from the competition.

Undoubtedly, it was an adrenaline-filled morning both for athletes and fans, who never stopped encouraging the competitors. 

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.

It is worth mentioning that more than 94 volunteers were supervising this competition for spectators to have a pleasant experience. Over 90 police officers were in charge of the sports event security, and four ambulances and a tent of the Peruvian Ministry of Health looked after the health of the attendees.

As Peru celebrates its independence day, many families took the opportunity to attend a competition that they could only watch on television before: weightlifting. Among the audience were Venezuelan immigrates, who moved to Peru in the last few months.

The feeling of seeing their fellow Venezuelans compete and defend their flag was indescribable. There were lots of tears and happiness as they saw their athletes succeed. Everyone got excited when Génesis Rodríguez won the 55 kg competition, with a total of 212 kg in the snatch, and clean and jerk, and even more so when they heard, and sang, their national anthem.

Génesis cried with them because she was the first Venezuelan to win a gold medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Colombian Yenny Sinistierra also cried, but because she lost the competition. Many thought she was the favorite to win this competition, but the Venezuelan’s courage was stronger. Peruvian Shoely Mego had the fans support, but she did not make it to the podium, finishing in sixth place.

Julio Mayora gave Venezuelans another victory in the men’s 73 kg. He even broke the Pan American record with a total of 349 kg. He surpassed the last record of 347 kg set last June 27 in La Habana, Cuba, by Clarence Cummings of the United States. This marked another touching moment and was celebrated by all the Venezuelans in the coliseum. Mayora beat the junior world champion, Colombian Luis Mosquera, who had won the bronze medal at the Rio Olympic Games. Another touching moment was when they sang, for the second time, the Venezuelan anthem thanks to Lima 2019.

Two Peruvians, Oscar Terrones and Santiago Villegas, competed in this category. The Terrones family filled up a part of the stands and never stopped cheering for Óscar, who placed fifth with 304 kg. There are no complaints for the Peruvian representative who was close to third place. Villegas placed ninth with 282 kg.

The crowd experienced a weightlifting celebration and everyone was happy with the level of the athletes.

Photo gallery (click here)

Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center hosted the top rugby teams of the Americas, after three days of intense matches. Argentina defeated the two-time Pan American Champion, Canada, after spending 15 minutes surpassing their rivals in every aspect of the match. The Argentinian fans gathered in the grandstands and witnessed the great performance of the “Pumas” with great excitement. 

The Argentinians took the lead from the very beginning, scoring five five-point tries that made it difficult for the Canadians to even the score. The most notable Argentinian players were scorer Luciano Gonzalez and number 10, Santiago Mare, always precise in their conversions and penalties. 

“It was a great match for Argentina, not only because we won the medal that had been denied to us at the last two Pan American Games. Even though they scored a try early on, we stayed focused and finally surpassed them physically and tactically. The tournament was also well organized and we’re grateful for each gesture,” stated Santiago Mare.  

As for the women’s event, Canada defeated the United States for the second time in a row and claimed the gold medal. The Canadian team dominated the match from start to finish with a 24-10 victory. 

Second chance. Tomorrow, July 29, the triathlon mixed relay will take place starting at 9:00. In this event, athletes will show their endurance in all three disciplines it comprises: swimming, cycling and running. This road sport competition will take place in the districts of Barranco and Chorrillos. It is one of the disciplines that can be watched free of charge. 

Each team is made up of four athletes: two men and two women. Each of the competitors will complete a 300-meter swimming course at Agua Dulce beach, a 6667-meter cycling course and a 1.5-kilometer race course. When each circuit is completed, each athlete will tag off the next team member, and so on. 

The Peruvian team is made up of Ada Bravo, Blanca Kometter, José Gómez de la Torre, and Rodrigo Bravo, who will seek to win a medal in this event. 

The Peruvian National Police and the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee have coordinated the implementation of a road plan that allows athletes to give a good performance. For this event taking place on Monday, July 29, the restriction will begin today, July 28, at 23:00 and end tomorrow at 12:15. 

Roads affected by closures are: Avenida Malecón Grau (Bajada Huaylas), close to Calle Balarezo and Calle Aguirre. Other affected roads will be: Calle Cruz, Calle Vílchez and Jirón José M. Barrionuevo, at their intersections with Malecón Grau (Bajada Huaylas), as well as the Vía Expresa Costa Verde between Los Pavos beach and Agua Dulce beach.  

Some alternative routes are: 

• Southbound: Almirante Grau, El Sol, Libertador San Martín, Pedro de Osma, Chorrillos and José Olaya. 

• Northbound: Alejandro Iglesias, Chorrillos, Pedro de Osma, 28 de Julio, Almirante Miguel Grau and Reducto. 

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 could run away and interrupt the competition. 

• Respect the road closure which will be in force during the competition. 

About Lima 2019 

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games started on July 26, 2019 with a ceremony held at the National Stadium, and 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. 

It has been a historic day for Peru, as marathon runners Gladys Tejeda and Cristhian Pacheco and squash player Diego Elías secured the first gold medals.

These were the words of the Lima 2019 spokesperson, Carlos Manuel Lazarte, who described the happy moment he experienced after Cristhian Pacheco crossed the finish line in the district of Miraflores.

“Diego Elías took revenge because he beat the Toronto 2015 squash champion. And he is still competing in doubles,” Lazarte stated during the fifth press conference that he held since the Games started.

Later, the Games spokesperson said the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee keeps calm and does not want to get carried away over the Peruvian delegation performance in the continental event. “Having medals is the best start. They are our heroes,” Lazarte added.

MORE TICKETS SOLD

More than 250 thousand tickets for the ceremonies and competitions of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games have been sold. Carlos Manual Lazarte also encouraged people to buy the available tickets for the closing ceremony and the preliminary events.

Buy your tickets online at lima2019.pe or https://teleticket.com.pe/lima2019.

In addition, you can get your tickets in the ticket booths at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco or in the 10 points of sale at the Metro and Wong supermarkets in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel, and Surco.