Félix Espinoza Vargas was born with no arms and has only one leg; however, he was always a talented artist. He is a visual artist, graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 1982, and belongs to the Association of Entrepreneurial Artisans with Impairments and to an international association of artists who paint with their mouth and feet. 

“I want to show the Peruvian public that it is possible to do my job as an artist, despite the impairment that you can see,” he told us while placing the canvas on which he will paint. Félix said that he paints an average of six hours a day with his mouth, and when he is tired, he paints with his foot between an hour and a half to two hours, to rest his eyes. His paintings reflect the color of optimism and his meticulous work.

Félix, Diana Fuentes, Cristina Falcón and their artistic work are present at Culturaymi. Everyone knows what effort and commitment mean, therefore they had positioned themselves in the art market. 

And when it comes to attributes, these have been inherited by Felix's daughter, Nicole Espinoza, 16, a national champion in artistic gymnastics and now, a competitor at the Pan American Games. “Even if she falls and gets hurt, she keeps going. Sometimes she has taken off the cast to keep training,” he said proudly. 

Félix told us that he has a colleague who is a great visual artist and also an outstanding athlete. She is Dunia Felices, who will compete at the Parapan American Games. This demonstrates that talent can be found in art and sports as well. “Dunia has been studying in Bellas Artes and other institutes; she has a lot of talent. I always tell her to keep going, because the major in arts is hard and demanding, but you have to be constant,” he declared.

Another story of commitment is that of Diana Fuentes, 47, also present at Culturaymi. She suffered burns when she was two years old, so she had a hand amputated. Diana crochets baby layettes, which she offers at the stand.  “Culturaymi is very interesting. It allows us to show our skills and prove that we can be useful for our families,” she said. 

And to preserve the environment and prevent plastic from continuing to pollute. Cristina Falcón, 39, makes eco-friendly bags with designs and embroidery. Cris has had polio since she was nine months old, but she was never discouraged and always tried to keep going with her usual activities. Now that awareness is being risen to regulate the use of plastic bags and that these are being withdrawn from the market, it would be worth to pay a visit to Cris’s stand and buy her beautiful bags. “Lima 2019 has given us an opportunity as an association. People from all over the world come here,” she says. 
All of these artists can be found at Parque de la Exposición. The quality of their work and the story behind them deserve support. 

Photo gallery (click here)

A crucial day in Lima 2019. A few hours before the Pan American Games Opening Ceremony, the competitions of this event continue and others, such as rugby and artistic skating, begin.

Modern pentathlon is a sport that includes swimming, equestrian, fencing and laser run (shooting and running). For this sport, the fencing competitions, in men’s and women’s singles, will be held from 09:00 to 15:00 at the Lima Convention Center in San Borja.

Beach volleyball competitions will continue at the Costa Verde venue in San Miguel with 16 preliminary matches, in men’s and women’s category, from 08:00 to 14:40.

The rugby competitions will kick off at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center with the women’s category, with matches between Colombia and Argentina (09:50), and United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago (10:15). At 10:40, Brazil and Peru will participate in a spectacular match, and Canada vs. Mexico (11:05) will close the session.

In men’s category, the stage is just as attractive with matches between Brazil and Chile (11:30), United States vs. Guyana (11:55), Canada vs. Uruguay (12:20) and Argentina vs. Jamaica (12:45).

NATIONAL SPORTS VILLAGE

Artistic skating is one of the other disciplines that begins prior to the Lima 2019 Opening Ceremony. Short sessions in men’s and women’s category have been scheduled from 10:00 to 12:00, at the National Sports Village (VIDENA) in San Luis.

As for squash, the quarterfinals for men’s singles, women’s and men’s doubles will take place from 08:00 to 12:00.

The Peruvian Exports and Tourism Promotion Board (PROMPERÚ) opened up Lima 2019 Casa Perú today at the Lima Convention Center in San Borja. Its aim is to showcase the best of our country to the international press and the thousands of athletes from the 41 delegations participating in the Pan American and Parapan American Games. 

Casa Perú is a marketing strategy that allows visitors to experience all of Peru in a single place. This is a great opportunity to show the best of Peruvian culture and our main exports to journalists, athletes and delegations visiting during Lima 2019.   

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Edgard Vásquez, symbolically handed the key to the President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus, who said he felt delighted to have such a strategy within the facilities of the Lima 2019 Main Press Center. 

“It is a pleasure to have Casa Perú in this venue, where the press will gather to broadcast the news about the Pan American and Parapan American Games. There is no better place. Forty-one cultures from the Americas will come together here. Thank you for this beautiful space,” he stressed.

On his part, the head of MINCETUR revealed that it is the first time a format like Casa Perú has been opened in Peru. “This is very important for us, as it is the first time we have had this format here at home, in Peru. The first three have been abroad: in South Korea, the United States and Russia,” he explained. 

Lima 2019 Casa Perú can be found in two locations: one at the Lima Convention Center, and the other at the Pan American Village in Villa El Salvador. These are the two locations which will gather the most athletes and international press members. 

“Lima 2019 will be a great platform to show the world the diversity of Peru as a country, and there are cultural, gastronomic and tourist destinations that cannot be missed,” pointed out Luis Torres, PROMPERU Chief Executive. 

Qhapaq Ñan

The concept of Casa Perú, inspired by the Qhapaq Ñan, invites us to travel throughout Peru with the help of a “chasqui” along four different paths: those of nature (biodiversity and Amazonian culture), adventure (tourism activities through virtual reality), food (tasting of our superfoods, pisco and renowned gastronomy), and art and creativity (crafts and paintings inspired by our millenary history). 

In addition, an exhibition of the replica of Lord of Sipán has been set up, in which the main treasures and the tomb of Huaca Rajada (Lambayeque) can be seen. It is being exhibited on the second floor of the Lima Convention Center. A photographic exhibition of the first travel guide to Peru has also been set up.  

For the Peruvian public, PROMPERÚ will install a tourism desk at Parque de la Exposición, presenting the travel program ¿Y tú qué planes?, which promotes travel inside Peru.

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee (COPAL) announced that the Peruvian multinational company, AJE, is the Official Sponsor of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games and will provide more than one million beverages for the close to10,000 athletes from 41 countries that will participate in the largest sports celebration in the continent.

COPAL President Carlos Neuhaus and AJE Chief Communication and Sustainability Officer Jorge López Dóriga participated in the press conference.

“Thanks to AJE for its support. It is a great satisfaction that a Peruvian multinational company is participating in the Pan American and Parapan American Games. We are going to have the luxury of having the participants drink Peruvian products,” said Carlos Neuhaus.

“It is important for us that a Peruvian company be part of Lima 2019, because we are committed to Peru and its progress. Moreover, it is a true honor to be part of a historic event for Peru,” said Jorge López Dóriga, representative of AJE. This company was founded in Ayacucho in 1998, by the Añaños Family, and its products are currently sold in over 23 countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Each delegation will be able to drink AJE’s product, Sporade, before, during and after each competition, that can also be found in Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Central America and Mexico.

Likewise, athletes will have vending machines with Sporade, Cielo and Big Cola, in all the Lima 2019 sports venues and in the Pan American and Parapan American Village located in Villa El Salvador.

It is important to note that AJE also sponsors Peruvian athletes Álvaro Hidalgo (volleyball), José Luis Mandrós (athletics), Renzo León (rowing) and Mariano Wong (karate).

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

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

The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, led by its president, Carlos Neuhaus, and the minister of the Environment, Lucía Ruiz, presented this afternoon the action plan that will be carried out to make the Pan American and Parapan American Games environmentally responsible, thus becoming the first Green Games.

This task will be carried out through responsible consumption of single-use plastic products, selective waste collection and the participation of recyclers and environmental volunteers, like those present during the visit of Minister Lucía Ruiz to the facilities of the VIDENA (Athletics Stadium, Aquatic Center and Velodrome).

During her visit to the venue, the minister pointed out its modern facilities, as well as the contribution of Lima 2019 to the environment. “Lima 2019 will mark a before and after thanks to its sports infrastructure. We have world-class facilities that will put Peru under the world’s spotlight. For this reason, we must promote a new lifestyle, with a green and clean Peru. The event will be in keeping with environmental issues, through the use of solar panels and renewable energy,” she said.

“We want the Games to be green and clean, so we ask you not to bring plastic to the facilities. During the Games, there will be waste management, and the Carbon Neutral policy against the emission of greenhouse gases will be applied. Additionally, carbon credits will be issued for the implementation of four natural areas in San Martín, Ucayali, Puno and Madre de Dios. These Games will represent a change and show the world what we are and what we want to be,” Minister Lucía Ruiz added.

Meanwhile, Carlos Neuhaus assured that Lima 2019 will give us the chance to be better citizens. “As a country, this is our chance to manage the environment differently and to improve our habits. Over 400 million people around the world will be watching us, so we must do things differently. Lima will be in the spotlight and we can be better. It all depends on us,” said the president of COPAL.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

The Ministry of the Environment (MINAM), through the National Agency of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNAMP), will be responsible for measuring the carbon footprint of this international sports event in order to compensate it in Protected Natural Areas.

The compensation will be carried out through carbon credits from the RED+ project, based on the concept of environmental responsibility. The goal is to leave an environmental legacy by reducing the impact generated during the Games in order to be Carbon Neutral.

The actions of MINAM are part of their strategic approaches, “Perú Limpio” (Clean Peru) and “Perú Natural” (Natural Peru), that aim to inform and educate citizens about good environmental practices.

As part of the presentation of environmental actions, there will be a tour of the facilities of the National Sports Village (VIDENA), which will show the education and promotion activities being carried out in regard to the responsible consumption of single-use plastic products, waste reduction, as well as segregated waste storage.

During the Lima 2019 Games, establishments that provide food and other products at the different venues will not be able to give out single-use plastic bags, straws or styrofoam containers.

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 competitions are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

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