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

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.

Lima 2019 took part in the tribute to UPC athletes who will participate in the Pan American and Parapan American Games.

Carlos Neuhaus, Lima 2019 Organizing Committee President, attended a tribute to athletes from the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (UPC) who will compete at the Pan American and Parapan American Games. The event took place on the university premises.

Among the attendees were Edward Roekaert, President of UPC; Sebastian Suito, President of the Peruvian Institute of Sports; Jaime Reusche, Main Advisor of Lima 2019; Juan Antonio Silva, Lima 2019 Communications, Commercial and Marketing Manager; and Jenny Martínez, Peruvian delegation Chef de Mission.

Carlos Neuhaus highlighted the athletes’ hard work as they prepare to compete for Peru. “We are happy to have met our goals with the support of the Government. It gave us an event greater responsibility to host the Games efficiently. We are organizing an event within the set budget. This hadn't happened for a long time. Now, It’s time to hand over the baton to the athletes so that they will pick up lots of medals. Lima 2019 will be a turning point for sports and other areas,” he stated.

“We are ready and prepared to be the best hosts in the Americas. We hope the athletes will make themselves at home. We're also ready to welcome our Peruvian athletes at the Village in the coming days. They will have the chance to meet the best athletes in the Americas and the world. We want them to become the new national heroes,” Neuhaus added.

Sixty athletes who study at UPC participated in the tribute, including Hugo del Castillo in taekwondo, Vania Torres in surf, Kimberly Cardoza and José Luis Mandros in athletics, Aleska Burga in archery, and Jesús Salva in Para badminton. They received the Peruvian flag that they will defend at the Games.

ABOUT LIMA 2019

The Opening Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium on July 26. 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.

Boxing has always been Cuba's flagship sport in multi-sport events and Lima 2019 Pan American Games will not be the exception. The delegation of Cuba arrived five days ago with 10 boxers that will try to win all boxing medals. The list includes seven world champions and three of them have won Olympic gold medals.

The committee of Cuba, led by coach Rolando Acebal, trains at La Bombonera of the National Stadium, together with Peruvian, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Panama teams members. The champions Lázaro Álvarez (lightweight), Roniel Iglesias (welterweight) and Julio César La Cruz (light heavyweight) will be in the ring of the Miguel Grau Coliseum from July 27 to August 3.

Also, Erislandy Savón, the newest of the Savón dynasty, famous for revealing top-level athletes in the city of Guantanamo. “We are finishing the last details for our debut on July 27, when our search for the 10 gold medals begin. As a famous song in Cuba says, the gold is ours, rivals can share the silver and bronze,’’ said the Caribbean boxer.

Here is the complete list of Cuban boxers:

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.  Also, a new point of sale has been opened at the Jockey Plaza shopping center, in Surco.

BOXING IN LIMA 2019

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 be on July 30, while finals will be held on August 1 and 2, in sessions that starting at 19:00.

The Pan American Games will include a total of 39 sports and 62 disciplines, and 21 of these disciplines will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Fifteen athletes and Para athletes, qualified for Lima 2019, were recognized by the Armed Forces of Peru at the Coliseum of the Peruvian Air Force Officers Academy, that will host one of Lima 2019 venues, the shooting range of Las Palmas Air Base.

The president of the Peruvian Military Sports Federation (FEDEMILPE), Major General FAP Moisés Barack Castro; the chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Peru, General César Astudillo Salcedo; General Commander Jorge Céliz Kuong of the Peruvian Army; Admiral Fernando Cerdán Ruiz of the Peruvian Navy and General Rodolfo García Esquerre of the Peruvian Air Force attended the ceremony led by the Minister of Defense, Jorge Moscoso Flores.

The fifteen honored athletes were: Juan Condori, Jair Mena, Tony Gialescka, Jane Vanessa Collins (Modern Pentathlon); Juan Francia, Hans Alva, Jorge Salinas (Equestrian); Natalia Correa (Rugby sevens); Ángel Adriel (Fencing); Frank Nolberto (Judo); Brianda Rivera, Liz Carrión, Kevin Altamirano (Shooting); José Luis Casas and Carlos Felipa (Para Athletics). Cadets from the three institutions of the Armed Forces of Peru also attended.

Minister Moscoso expressed his enthusiasm and recognition to athletes in his opening speech. He praised their commitment to Peru and the importance of this multi-sports event to be held in Peru for the first time.

“We are here this morning for something special: recognize the effort to prepare for high-level competitions. We are very proud of them. I’m entirely sure that they will give everything day by day to achieve their objectives and represent our country. I’d also like you to remeber this: “Only those who can see the invisible can do the impossible,” he said.

The Peruvian Military Sports Federation (FEDEMILPE), created in 1959, is a non-profit institution attached to the Ministry of Defense and recognized by the IPD. It is affiliated to the International Military Sports Council, which has 137 member nations in the world, and to the South American Sports Union, with 11 member nations in the region.

The president Moisés Barack guaranteed full support for athletes of the FEDEMILPE and the Armed Forces of Peru.

“This year, the personnel of the three Peruvian armed institutions received recognition for their effort, dedication and perseverance. Thanks to their hard training, they have qualified to be members of the national teams participating in these Games. This small but significant ceremony is a recognition to them.”

Para athlete José Luis Casas, in charge of speaking on behalf of a group of top athletes, said that we all are committed to reaching the gold for Peru in Lima 2019.

“We try to improve ourselves daily for the glory of our institutions both at a national and international level. I’d like to finish quoting the British writer Gilbert Chesterton: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” We have many rivals in front of us, but we have our whole country pushing us to victory. Let’s keep moving forward all together," he said.

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 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.

Photo gallery (click here)

On July 17, Bagua Grande city will receive the Pan American torch, on its fourteenth day of relay across Peru. This will be the torch's final destination in the Peruvian Jungle. 

A total of 33 torchbearers will participate of 6.6 km torch relay. The route starts at the San Luis stadium and finishes at Plaza de Armas. 

Among the torchbearers will be Margarito Machacuay Valera, famous for being one of the tallest person in Peru, and Fredy Oc Reyes, weightlifting national champion in Chiclayo and Lima, who also participated in various national and international competitions. 

Bagua Grande is the fourteenth city on the road to Lima, where the Pan American and Parapan American Games will take place on 26 July. 

As part of the preparations to welcome the athletes participating in the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games, to be held between July 26 and September 1, Lima Airport Partners (LAP), along with the main entities of the Jorge Chávez International Airport, have carried out different simulations, with the purpose of fine-tuning the flow of all delegations that enter and leave the airport.

In that sense, LAP has determined the following actions to provide Lima 2019 delegations and team the right level of service:

• Special flow assignment in the terminal for more than 10,000 athletes and technical officials; tanking into consideration that nearly 800 athletes are wheelchair users.
• Incorporation of additional personnel, such as airport guides and volunteers, who will guide and provide useful information.
• Development of an APP to improve athletes and passengers’ assistance during their stay in the terminal. This app has also a special module designed to guide people with visual impairment, thanks to Wayfinding technology.
• Conditioning of special areas at the international baggage claim hall to ease the delivery of belongings to athletes and Games staff.
• Implementation of a remote check-in for athletes and their belongings with a period of 24 to 48 hours in advance; after which, the different airlines will manage the baggage transfer so that they are loaded in their respective flights.

Pamela Moreno, the Lima Airport Partners operations manager, mentioned that “Jorge Chávez International Airport will be the first host of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games; therefore, it has been crucial to be in constant coordination with the Games Organization to provide the necessary assistance for an event of such importance. We have developed a plan along with the main airport entities to give a better travel experience for all athletes and visitors that will come in the following days.”

Additionally, Alberto Valenzuela, Lima 2019 operations manager, said that “in an unprecedented event, Peru will welcome about 10,000 athletes and technical officials for the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Therefore, we have worked together with LAP to receive the delegations with an Olympic-level service, as the best athletes and Para athletes in the continent deserve.  We will be the best hosts.”

It should be mentioned that simulations were carried out with the cooperation of all involved areas to ensure proper operations of the expected flow and identify improvement opportunities to deliver a great experience for all athletes and visitors.

Since his family moved from Cajamarca to the Huanchaco Beach, Trujillo, his life has always been connected to the sea. When he was 7 years old, Benoit “Piccolo” Clemente tried to defy the tidal with his “Caballito de totora”.

Now he is 37 and, despite being a legend at the World Longboard Championship circuit, he dreams of claiming the gold at the Pan American Games. The Lima 2019 Ambassador has always wanted to play at home with the support of his people.

What does Lima 2019 mean to a three-time world champion?

The Pan American Games mean a lot to me because I worked really hard to qualify for the longboard category. I had to be in a good condition to compete at several world championships, and I was able to secure a quota place at the last qualifier, the ISA World Surfing Games. It would be amazing to represent my country and even more so if I could win the gold medal.

How important is the connection that you have with the Punta Rocas Beach?

Punta Rocas is a historical beach for surfers because of all the titles we’ve won there. It never changes, and its waves are always great. We’ll only be able to get an idea of the sea conditions as of July 20, but the advantage is that we know this beach.

Do you think playing at home gives you an advantage?

Well, it doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for us. Among the surfers competing at Lima 2019, there are South American, Pan American and even world champions, so the competition is going to be tough.

How did you feel after receiving the new surfing sport center?

I was really glad to see the new High-performance Center. It’s a great legacy for Peruvian surfing. The infrastructure is fantastic, and it’ll help us discover new talents. I can already see those stands full of Peruvians supporting us during the competition that will take place in 15 days.

What are the advantages of this sports center when compared to others?

I know this will be the best sports center in our continent. I’ve seen the infrastructure in other countries, such as Australia and France, but ours has nothing to envy to those facilities. I’m sure every sport center built for Lima 2019 will help us in the future.

How can Lima 2019 help Peru?

I believe that sports will increase a lot after Lima 2019. We’ll have new representatives and of course new world champions. We need them, so the Peruvian sport can grow sustainably.

Peruvians will be rooting for you in Punta Rocas.

They’ve always been rooting for us, and I’m forever grateful for their support. The 10 members of the Peruvian team hope people can come to see us during the competitions because the performance level will be really high. Seeing people with Peruvian flags supporting us from the stands is a huge motivation.

The Punta Rocas beach has been home to Peruvian surfing since Felipe Pomar claimed the World Surfing Champion title in 1965 for the first time. The Pan American Games will not be an exception. That is why the tickets for the final session scheduled for August 3 are already sold out, but there are still some tickets left for the previous stage at www.lima2019.pe/tickets and the 10 Teleticket authorized points of sale.

THE STARS OF LIMA 2019

The participation of five world surfing champions has already been confirmed by the International Surfing Association. The Lima 2019 Ambassador Benoit “Piccolo” Clemente will be Peru’s ace in longboard. Another names on the list are the Argentinian Santiago Muñiz, gold medalist at the World Surfing Games 2018, and the Puerto Rican Tia Blanco, two-time gold medalist at the ISA World Surfing Games.

 The four-time SUP racing champion, Candice Appleby, will also compete in Lima, along with Brazil’s Luiz Diniz who has claimed the SUP surfing title two times in a row.

Also, María Fernanda Reyes will participate in longboard representing Peru. Lucca Mesinas, Alonso Correa, Daniela Rosas, and Melanie Giunta will take part in the open surfing event, a qualifying competition for Tokyo 2020. Besides, Tamil Martino and Vanie Torres will compete in SUP surfing. Meanwhile, Itzel Delgado and Giannisa Vecco will compete for a spot on the podium in SUP racing, which is one of the most challenging competitions.

SURFING AT LIMA 2019

The disciplines of open surfing, longboard, SUP racing, and SUP surfing are included in the Pan American Games sport program. The competitions will be governed by the rules of the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Pan American Surf Association (PASA) and will be held from July 29 to August 4 at the Punta Rocas Beach.

The event will take place in heats, with a double elimination format. Athletes will face each other in a first, second and third round, until they reach the finals. The number of participants in each heat can vary from two athletes to three or four. In a two-surfer heat, first place will advance in the event. In a three- or four-surfer heat, the first two will advance in the event.