The popular Puerto Rican singer was welcomed by Jorge Muñoz, Major of Lima; Carlos Neuhaus, president of Lima 2019 Organizing Committee; and Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez, who along with the Orchesta and Young’s Choir of his foundation, Sinfonía por el Peru, performed “En mi viejo San Juan” a classic theme from Puerto Rico, birthplace of the pop idol.

After the welcome, the 122 children from the Symphony Orchestra and the 60 teenagers  from the Young’s Choir of Sinfonía por el Peru offered a concert. They included in their repertoire some classic themes, and some modern an lively ones like a couple of Perez Prado mambos.

At the end of the concert, the teenagers improvised some verses from “Despacito” the musical hit that brought worldwide fame to Fonsi. He expressed his gratefulness and admiration towards the members of Sinfonía por el Peru, founded by Flórez. This foundation of youth orchestras allows more than 8000 children and teenagers from disadvantaged areas of Peru to develop their full musical potential.

The Peruvian tenor and the Puerto Rican pop idol will be the main figures of the Lima 2019 Opening Ceremony, taking place this Friday at the National Stadium.

About Lima 2019

The Lima 2019 Games Opening Ceremony will be held at the National Stadium of Peru 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 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 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. Fourteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Photo gallery (click here)

This morning, at the Pan American Village, the Organizing Committee officially welcomed the Peruvian delegation staying at this venue in an emotional ceremony, only a few hours before they were set to start competing in the most important multi-sports event in the continent.

Among the attendees were: María Jara Risco, minister of Transport and Communications; Alberto Valenzuela, Lima 2019 Games Operations manager; Giorgio Mautino, the Village mayor; Karin Sierralta, Village deputy mayor; and Sebastián Suito, president of the Peruvian Sports Institute. A total of 139 Peruvian athletes participated in this emotional ceremony, where the national flag was hoisted and the national anthem was played. The Peruvian flag was the first to be raised in the Village.

Minister María Jara highlighted the fact that this multi-sport event is taking place in Peru and the participation of Peruvian athletes. “To be here is a dream come true. This was achieved through teamwork. Athletes, I only ask you to give your all in the competitions. To our friends from the Americas, I tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that Peru is your home. We are pleased to welcome you with great esteem,” said the minister, who then toured the Pan American Village and the building where the Peruvian delegation is staying.

Meanwhile, Giorgio Mautino, the mayor of the Village, was in charge of welcoming the delegations. The first delegation to enter was Peru, followed by Ecuador and Trinidad and Tobago. Later that day, it was Uruguay and Venezuela’s turn.

“We have worked hard to provide the best conditions for the athletes so that they can reach their best level. I know that they are working hard, and even more so given they are far from home. I understand all this because I was also an athlete. It should be clear that Peru will cheer all of you on, so let’s all play!” stated Mautino.

Then, he gave the chefs de mission, including Jenny Martinez from Peru, a cuchimilco figurine, on which Milco, the Lima 2019 Games official mascot, was based. The artistic show began with the main dances of the Coast, Andes and Jungle of Peru. Many of the Peruvian athletes moved to the music during the artistic show.

STAYING AT THE VILLAGE

The Peruvian handball and beach volleyball teams are staying at the Village and will make their debut tomorrow at the Pan American Games. Additionally, the gymnastics, softball, baseball, weightlifting and rugby teams are among the main Peruvian athletes staying at the Village and are ready to represent Peru at the international event.

The Peruvian delegation consists of 592 athletes, including 308 men and 284 women, as well as 235 officials (coaches, delegates, assistants and physicians). Aquatic sports has the greatest number of Peruvian athletes, with a total of 67 swimmers, who will compete in the five disciplines (open water swimming, diving, artistic swimming, swimming and water polo).

On Sunday, July 21, sailor Stefano Peschiera was chosen as flag bearer of the Peruvian delegation for the Opening Ceremony of Pan American Games. On the same day, a total of 90 enthusiastic Peruvian athletes entered the Pan American Village in Villa El Salvador, where they will stay before their Lima 2019 Pan American Games competitions.

The Peruvian delegation is saying in Tower 3, and the first three sport teams to enter the Village were handball and beach volleyball. Both teams will debut this Wednesday 24 at the VIDENA Sports Center 1 and the Costa Verde San Miguel venue, respectively.

On Monday 22, President Martín Vizcarra officially handed over the Peruvian flag to the Peruvian delegation at the Government Palace. Paleta frontón player Kevin Martínez was in charge of receiving the flag.

As a reward for athletes who win a gold, silver or bronze medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games, the Peruvian Government will gift them apartments, as per law 30949, published in the official newspaper El Peruano.

According to the regulation, gold, silver and bronze medalists of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will receive apartments of 75.83 m2, 73.83 m2 and 70.87 m2, respectively.

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, 2019, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao. Some venues are the VIDENA, Villa María Sports Center, Callao Regional Village, Villa El Salvador Sports Center, Punta Rocas Surfing Sports Center, 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 disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Tickets start at 10 soles, with discount

Tickets for the Pan American and Parapan American Games will range from 20 soles to 10 soles, respectively. There will be a 50% discount for anyone under the age of 18, senior citizens and people with impairments and their companion.

Fans can buy their tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets. The Organizing Committee has recently installed a new ticket booth in the Jockey Plaza shopping center, in Santiago de Surco. This new point of sale is an addition to the 10 points of sales that were already operating at the Metro and Wong supermarkets and stores 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 21 disciplines at the Pan American Games are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games while 13 Parapan American sports are qualifiers for the Paralympics.

Photo gallery (click here)

The Mayor of Lima, Jorge Muñoz, and the Lima 2019 Official Spokesperson, Carlos Manuel Lazarte, welcomed at the Jorge Chávez International Airport more than 100 Mexican athletes that arrived at the capital to participate in the Pan American Games competitions, that are about to start.

In this welcoming ceremony, the Mayor of Lima excitedly stated that “the ones who are here are the Peruvian culture ambassadors and, as representatives of the greatest multi-sports festivity of the Americas, we wish you the best and to enjoy your stay in our country.”

The reception of the Mexican athletes included an artistic performance, in charge of Lima Airport Partners, with different typical dances from the coast, highlands and jungle, such as “marinera norteña”, “huaylas”, “anaconda”, among others dances of national folklore.  The Mexican athletes joined the show and turned their arrival into an episode that will remain in their memories.

As part of the ceremony, a ribbon cut was held for the opening of a reception area in the International Arrivals Hall, which will allow to offer more hospitality to all the delegations that come from the Americas. In this place, there is a wall that provides diverse information related to the Games such as venues, historical backgrounds, etc.

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 21 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.

The famous Puerto Rican singer, Luis Fonsi, will be one of the stars of the Pan American Games Opening Ceremony. Today, before singing his greatest hits this Friday at the National Stadium, he attended a press conference, where he said he was honored to be a part of Lima 2019.  

At the press conference, that gathered local and international media, the pop idol was accompanied by the president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus, and the president of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic, who were happy that, thanks to his presence, the Games will be both a sports and musical celebration.  

Fonsi, who achieved world fame with his hit “Despacito,” confessed that he was honored and grateful to be part of the largest multi-sport event in the Americas, and described himself, not only as a sports fan, but also as a failed athlete.  

“I’m happy to be here, to receive such a beautiful welcome and to be able to come back to Lima to be part of such an important event. I’m glad that we can speak and sing in our language. I feel honored to accompany great Peruvian artists and add a rhythmic and romantic touch to these beautiful Games, for which thousands of athletes have been getting ready. Just like my team and I, who, for a long time, have been preparing all the details to make it a magical night,” he revealed.  

Neuhaus pointed out that having the presence of a world-famous singer such as Fonsi will turn Peru into the stage of the Americas.  

“We are already in Games mode: the athletes arrived, the horses arrived but, most importantly, Luis Fonsi arrived. There are 41 countries participating in these Games and it is estimated that 400 million people around the world will watch this ceremony, especially in the Americas. Not only is it a great opportunity to promote Peru in the best way possible, but also to showcase our ancient history,” he said.  

The president of Panam Sports expressed his gratitude and amazement with the work done by Peru and assured that, with the Opening Ceremony, Peruvians will start to truly live the passion of the Games.  

“On behalf of Panam Sports, I want to tell you that you made no mistakes, and that’s a great achievement when it comes to a commitment like this one. Starting on Friday, you will live that passion that every Peruvian should feel when they are proud of what they’re doing. The entire world will be watching. We wanted to make the ceremony more international because, in a way, it represents the inclusion of the 41 countries that will be part of this sports celebration. We thought carefully about who currently represented what we wanted to showcase, who could make us dance and sing, and we all agreed that that person was Luis Fonsi,” he declared.  

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 21 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. 

Five designs of the Pan American Games official mascot, “Milco”, made by inmates of the Lurigancho penitentiary, were presented today by the president of the National Penitentiary Council, César Cárdenas Lizarbe, and the Commercial and Marketing Manager, Juan Antonio Silva Sologuren.

 In a press conference, the Lima 2019 Communications, Commercial and Marketing Manager, Juan Antonio Silva Sologuren, explained that the INPE and the sports event Organizing Committee signed an agreement to provide free use of the distinctive signs and the Milco mascot. “We have seen the quality of the work and the commitment of the inmates who are part of this project,” he added.

The President of the National Penitentiary Council, César Cárdenas Lizarbe, said that this project shows positive aspects of the inmates: the willingness to change, the rehabilitation process and the conviction of being part of the development of our society.

The five designs: the official mascot, Milco holding the torch, football, surf and volleyball, were made by twenty inmates and supervised by professionals of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) in the fulfillment of the necessary standards for INPE to obtain the porcelain fabrication license.

The work was made in the porcelain workshop of the “Cárceles Productivas” project held by the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE), and the process included different stages such as casting, polishing, burning, painting and packaging.

There are 3000 units of the 20 cm mascot, which were made from cold porcelain clay. They will be available at six venues of the Games: VIDENA, Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, Chorrillos Military School, Miguel Grau Sports Center, Punta Rocas Beach and Army Equestrian School.

This morning, the president of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, gave the Peruvian flag to the Peruvian delegation that will represent us at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The Opening Ceremony of the Games will take place this Friday, July 26, in the National Stadium.  

The ceremony was held at the Government Palace and fronton athlete Kevin Martínez was in charge of receiving the national flag, on behalf of flag bearer Stefano Peschiera, who returned to his competition venue in Paracas. A total of 592 Peruvian athletes will compete in the most important multi-sports competition of the Americas. 

Carlos Neuhaus, president of COPAL; Sebastián Suito, president of the Peruvian Sports Institute; Carlos Manuel Lazarte, the secretary-general of COP; and Jenny Martínez, chef de mission of the Lima 2019 Peruvian delegation and board member of COP, were also present at the ceremony. 

“The Pan American Games start this week and, as president, I give you one of the most emblematic symbols of our country. This flag represents the love, commitment and support of every Peruvian, which you will also demonstrate in few days. You will represent over 30 million Peruvians, you will be a role model and an example to everyone. This is a very important event for Peru,’’ Vizcarra stated. 

A total of 308 men and 284 women will try to make it to the podium in 38 sports. Several Olympic athletes such as Kimberly García, Mari Luz Andía, Inés Melchor and Gladys Tejeda (athletics), Paloma Schmidt (sailing), Camila Valle and Renzo León (rowing) and Alessandro De Souza (shooting) are part of the Peruvian delegation. 

On his part, Kevin Martínez said: “I want to thank President Vizcarra for this special occasion. I’m proud to be the flag bearer today, the representative of all the Peruvians that have sacrificed many years, with determination and effort, to try and do their best at Lima 2019. Thank you and, rest assured, we’re going to give it our all.’’ 

TICKETS STARTING AT 10 SOLES 

Cheer on our athletes and buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets. It is worth noting that the Organizing Committee has installed a new ticket booth in the Jockey Plaza shopping center, in Santiago de Surco. This new point of sale is an addition to the 10 points of sales that were already operating at the Metro and Wong supermarkets and stores in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco  

Tickets for the Pan American and Parapan American Games will range from 20 soles to 10 soles, respectively. There will be a 50% discount for anyone under the age of 18, senior citizens and people with impairments and their companion. It is important to mention that 21 disciplines at the Pan American Games are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games while 13 Parapan American sports are qualifiers for the Paralympics.  

The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will gather 6680 athletes from 41 countries and delegations of the Americas. There will be 19 days of competitions and ceremonies between July 24 and August 11, 2019, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao. Some venues are the VIDENA, Villa María Sports Center, Callao Regional Village, Villa El Salvador Sports Center, Punta Rocas, among others. 

Paola Longoria will be one of the stars of Lima 2019. The best female racquetball player of all time will arrive Sunday evening. She is going for her third gold medal, which will make her one of the most successful athletes in Pan American Games history. 

She is getting ready for the largest multi-sport event in the Americas. Her goal is to defend her title in the singles, doubles (with her partner Samantha Salas) and team categories, a title that she obtained at Guadalajara 2011 and Toronto 2015. 

“We are very prepared. I have already finished my stage with the multidisciplinary team. We were working in the city of San Luis, Potosí, but I decided to complete my training for the Pan American Games in Monterrey,” said Longoria. 

RACQUETBALL AT LIMA 2019 

It should be noted that racquetball was created as an alternative to tennis in order to play it indoors. This sport combines the rules of squash and handball, adding the use of a racket. 

It is played in a completely enclosed court, where the floor, four walls and ceiling are part of the game. Racquetball is an aggressive and physical sport and the players frequently move quickly to score points. 

At the Pan American Games, racquetball competitions will have singles and doubles matches in a round-robin group format. After this qualifying round, there will be a second qualifying round. All matches will be played to the best of three sets. The first two sets will be played to 15 points and the third set to 11 points, according to International Racquetball Federation regulations. 

The quota for racquetball players is 60, equally divided between the men’s and women’s categories. Doubles and singles competitions will start on August 2. The final is scheduled for the first session of August 7. The team competition will end three days after that, on August 10. 

BUY YOUR TICKETS 

The racquetball competition starts on August 2 at the Callao Regional Sports Village courts. Fans can buy tickets for this event on the Pan American and Parapan American Games official website. lima2019.pe/tickets 

Additionally, you can buy your tickets at any authorized point of sale at the Metro and Wong supermarkets and stores 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 the Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco. 

The Pan American Games will be held from July 26 to August 11. It will feature delegations from 41 countries of the Americas, who will compete in 39 sports and 61 disciplines. Twenty-one of these disciplines are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. A total of 6680 athletes will participate in this event. 

Maximum security. The Organizing Committee presented the Lima 2019 Security Plan only a few days away from the Pan American Games Opening Ceremony and, with that, announced that everything is ready to carry out the competitions without setbacks. The plan is backed by the Peruvian Armed Forces, the National Police of Peru (PNP), Civil Defense and the Fire Department.

Top Lima 2019 authorities, led by Carlos Neuhaus, and representatives of the agencies involved in this plan, attended the presentation that took place this morning. Over 34 thousand troops from the institutions participating in the plan will be in charge of air, sea and land security at the Pan American Games. The Peruvian Air Force, Navy, Army and the PNP will keep the venues safe during the competitions. Around 23 thousand police officers will patrol the streets, Civil Defense will set up mobile command centers and firefighters will have rescue vehicles throughout the city available in case of an emergency.

The president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus, said that Peru is ready to welcome the best athletes in the Americas for the Pan American Games and to guarantee their safety so they can participate in the Games without any issues. This plan will enable them to have everything under control and to ensure the safety of athletes, members of technical teams and spectators.

“Safety is guaranteed. I would like to thank all the institutions helping us with this task, such as the Peruvian Armed Forces, the Peruvian National Police, Civil Defense and the Fire Department. We will innovate in sports security at this multi-sports event because we will not only use traditional security, but also cybersecurity, intelligence plans and measures that will allow us to have a first-rate event without setbacks and with over 400 million people watching us,” he emphasized.

PNP General Commander José Lavalle said that they joined the efforts in order to provide complete security for the Pan American Games. Therefore, around 23,800 officers from all specialized police teams will be responsible for security at all venues, accommodations and transit routes.

He also said that the deployment of these officers will not undermine Lima’s security, but will contribute to the development of these competitions without setbacks for the population. He also pointed out that there will be more than one thousand security cameras monitoring the city from the Video Surveillance Center – C4 of the National Police of Peru.

SUPPORT FROM THE ARMED FORCES

Vice Rear Admiral Andrés Arriarán, chief of the Joint Command Operations Department, announced that 4500 members of the Peruvian Armed Forces will be in charge of security in sports venues and of forming quick-response teams in case of an emergency or evacuation. He also informed that they would provide security during aquatic sports competitions and along the marathon course, which will take place on July 27.

General Jorge Chávez, head of Indeci, highlighted that the Lima 2019 Security Plan had been prepared in a coordinated manner. He stated that they are able to respond to risk scenarios such as fires or earthquakes. Therefore, 800 brigade members will be deployed throughout the city and at pre-emptive mobile command centers at competition venues. There, spectators will receive information about security measures and evacuation routes in case of unexpected events.

Finally, the Vice Commander of the Fire Department, Carlos Angeles Bachet, said that they would be in charge of emergency care in case of fires, rescue, car accidents, medical emergencies and hazardous materials leaks. They will have 6000 firefighters and 150 vehicles, including fire trucks, rescue vehicles and telescopic ladders to handle any unexpected situations during the Pan American Games.

About Lima 2019

The Lima 2019 Games Opening Ceremony will be held at the National Stadium of Peru 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 21 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.

A total of 90 enthusiastic Peruvian athletes entered the Pan American Village in Villa el Salvador, where they will be staying before their competitions at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Their entrance into Tower 3 was very emotional because they were welcomed by a group of enthusiastic volunteers, who did not stop cheering them on with the traditional chants that accompanied the Peruvian football team.

The delegation was led by Jenny Martínez, Peru’s chef de mission, and welcomed by Giorgio Mautino, the mayor of the Pan American Village. In this first group were the Peruvian gymnastics team, such as Aitana Orrego. She arrived this afternoon to join her team that will compete at the Villa el Salvador Sports Center, close to Pan American Village. Her team members Arián León, Daniel Agüero and Luis Pizarro were also present.

The Peruvian handball and beach volleyball team were also part of this group. Both teams will debut this Wednesday 24 at the VIDENA Sports Center 1 and the Costa Verde San Miguel venue, respectively. The members of the Peruvian baseball and softball teams were also there.

In the upcoming days, more athletes will join them to stay at the Village. Meanwhile, this Tuesday, the official Welcome Ceremony will be held at the Village, where they will raise the Peruvian flag and play the Peruvian national anthem in the presence of Lima 2019 and sports officials.

BUY YOUR TICKETS

Buy your tickets for the different competitions so you can cheer on the Peruvian athletes at Lima 2019. You can buy them on the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games website: www.lima2019.pe.

You can also buy your tickets at any authorized point of sale at the Metro and Wong supermarkets and stores 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 the Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco.

The Brazilian delegation arrived today in Lima with 120 athletes of the 487 that belong to their delegation, one of the largest to compete in this multi-sports event.

These athletes are members of the basketball 3x3, weightlifting, artistic skating, modern pentathlon, rugby-7, squash, beach volleyball and women’s handball teams. The women’s handball team is the current five-time Pan American champion.

The Brazilian “canarinha” team will be one of the biggest attractions of the Games. Group A, that features Cuba, Puerto Rico, Canada and Brazil, will start playing on July 24 in VIDENA’s Sport Center 1. Group B features the United States, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Peru. 

The women’s Brazilian rugby team will return to the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center after having won the Women’s Rugby Seven South American Championship there in June. The “verdeamarelas” will compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and, in Lima, they hope to seize the gold medal from Canada.

“We have a very tough game ahead of us, but we’re ready for it. First we’re competing with Peru, then Mexico and Canada. We have already been in the venue during the qualifying championship for the Olympic Games and we thought it seemed ready for the Games and that it has great infrastructure and nice changing rooms. Peru is a warm and hospitable place,” assured the rugby player, Rafaella Zanellato. 

On his part, Óscar Brandao, member of the men’s beach volleyball team, was excited to put on a good show at the Costa Verde San Miguel venue.

“We won a South American championship here three years ago. I hope to do the same at the Pan American Games. I know that it’s a different and more difficult tournament, but I’m very happy and I hope to give my best. I’ve seen photos of the court and it’s very nice. The energy here in Peru is great for competing; I really like it,” he stated.

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 19 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 21 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.