With the unconditional support of its fans, the Peruvian football team will make its Lima 2019 Pan American Games debut against Argentina on the first matchday of women's football, Group B.

The match will take place in San Marcos stadium at 20:30. This competition is one of the more than 10 disciplines to take place on the fifth day of the Americas' most important multi-sports event.

The men's modern pentathlon event will be held at the Chorrillos Military School (11:00 – 16:00). Meanwhile, men’s and women’s bowling competitions will be held at the National Sports Village (VIDENA) between 9:00 and 20:00.

MEDAL CEREMONIES

Men’s artistic gymnastics competitions will start at 16:30 in two rounds where the participating teams, among them Peru, will seek qualification for the final. The medal ceremony will start at 23:25.

Men's shooting, in the air pistol event, will start at 9:00 at Las Palmas Air Base Shooting Range, in the district of Surco. The medal ceremony will start at 14:45.

Weightlifting competitions start at noon at Mariscal Cáceres Coliseum in the district of Chorrillos. Two men's and two women's competitions will be held, resulting in the athletes to be awarded in this discipline.

Rugby competitions will be held at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center starting at 9:10, where 16 teams will compete for the medal. The medal ceremony for both women’s and men’s categories will start at 16:45.

MORE COMPETITIONS

Fifteen basketball 3x3 games will take place at Eduardo Dibós Coliseum in San Borja, in both women’s and men’s events. The competitions start at 14:30 with the preliminary match between Brazil and Venezuela, and end at 22:00 with the game between Dominican Republic vs. USA.

Women's and men's water ski events start at 10:00 at Laguna Bujama, in Mala, in the trick and jump disciplines.

Softball will also take place at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center at 10:00, with the following matches: Argentina vs. USA, Cuba vs. Mexico (13:00 – 15:30) and Peru vs. Venezuela (16:00 – 18:30).

Beach volleyball competitions will continue at the Costa Verde San Miguel Sports Center, with 16 women's and men's matches including the quarter-finals, starting at 9:00.

Finally, 10 men's and women's boxing bouts will take place between 14:30 and 21:00 at Miguel Grau Coliseum.

Diego Elías had to wait for four years to take revenge. In 2015, Colombian athlete Miguel Rodríguez denied him the chance to pick up a gold medal at Toronto 2015. Now was the time for Elías to take revenge. 

In front of a crowd that filled the stadium with excitement, the Peruvian athlete won the third gold medal for Peru after defeating Colombian Miguel Rodríguez 3-1 in a highly-contested game, after 11-6, 7-11, 12-10 and 11-9 scores. 

Lima 2019 Ambassador and number 8 in the world ranking, Diego Elías has aroused public interest in a little-known sport in Peru, which has finally gained exposure thanks to the Pan American Games. 

Artistic skating is one of the disciplines that has created a lot of expectations in world multi-sports events and the Lima 2019 Pan American Games were not the exception. After two days of competition, the best 16 roller skaters of the Americas showed their art at the spectacular skating rink of Sports Center 3 of VIDENA, and spectators showed their love with standing ovations.

The Brazilian Bruna Wurts won the gold in women’s category, beating Giselle Soler from Argentina and Eduarda Fuentes from Ecuador. On the other hand, Juan Sánchez from Argentina defeated John Burchield from USA and Gustavo Casado from Brazil on his way to the gold.

The stands vibrated with the skaters’ performances. Most of them are placed in the top 10 of the world ranking. Entire families cheered for the routines accompanied by classic and modern music and athletes gave their best, to win the applause of Peruvian fans.

It is worth mentioning the spectacular skating rink, praised by competitors, trainers and spectators. “It has been an impressive event, not only because of the athletes’ high competition level, but also because of the spectators respect and the surface amazing conditions. I take good memories with me,” said the Pan American champion Juan Sánchez.

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. 

Peru has never had such a large delegation in a sports competition. No delegation in history has ever come close to the 592 athletes who moved many spectators to tears while enthusiastically parading at the National Stadium. This was the stage that witnessed their sacrifice to be part of the most important competition in the Americas, only behind the Olympic Games. 

Stefano Peschiera was in charge of leading the national delegation to the beat of Peruvian music, which has now regained its place in the worldwide scene. Now, 400 million people are aware that Peru has very good music and outstanding athletes. Peschiera was the flag bearer. Like him, many athletes arrived with many dreams and had the privilege of carrying their flag. All of them were applauded by an audience that enjoyed every moment of the magical night at the National Stadium.  

Lima 2019 was so special that the Brazilian delegation was led by two athletes: Kahena Kunze and Martine Grael, gold medalists in sailing 49er FXv at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: an unprecedented couple carrying the flag.  

This is the list of the main flag bearers who paraded at the National Stadium: 

ABOUT LIMA 2019  

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games 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 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. 

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.