One of the most captivating sports competitions of Lima 2019 will begin on Saturday. The six best teams of football 5-a-side in the Americas will compete for the long-waited gold on the hockey field at the Villa Maria del Triunfo Sports Center. Football 5-a-side is an adaptation of football and is played on a court of 40 x 20 meters, and the ball is equipped with a noise-making device. The players will wear eyeshades, except for the goalkeeper, who is fully sighted.

The Peruvian national team, led by Felipe Ramírez, make their debut against Mexico at 20:00 in Villa María del Triunfo.  The opponent team has just placed third at the Copa América, which took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The competition day begins with the match between “Los Murciélagos” from Argentina and Costa Rica at 15:00, while Colombia faces Brazil, three-time Parapan American champion and five-time Olympic champion, at 17:30. There will be a round-robin format and the two best teams will compete for the gold medal on August 30.

If you want to see these great Para athletes in action, buy your tickets at the 11 authorized points of sale, located in different districts of the city. There will be a 50% discount for children under 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment.

Tickets can be also purchased online through lima2019.pe/tickets, where you will also find the detailed competition schedules. In the case of e-tickets, printing will no longer be necessary since customers can show their e-ticket from their mobile phones at the entrance of the sports venue.

ABOUT LIMA 2019

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. Additionally, 13 Para sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Peru will be represented by 139 Para athletes, the largest number in this type of continental competitions. Peru will take part in 16 sports, including sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball as the ones with the largest number of competitors: 24 each (12 in women’s team and 12 in men’s team).

Her name sounds like success and for Lima 2019 it is an honor to welcome Amalia Pérez. The five-time Paralympic medalist in Para powerlifting, who has achieved world records in different categories (44, 48 and 60 kg), is here to participate in her fifth Parapan American Games.  

“I am very happy and excited after seeing the Pan American Games, the truth is that athletes stood out, and now I feel motivated to represent Mexico in the best way, we feel welcomed and at home,” Amalia pointed out, after arriving in our country.  

The gold medalist in Rio 2007, Guadalajara 2011 and Toronto 2015, will seek in Lima 2019 her fourth medal and a qualifier for Tokyo 2020, which will be her last participation since Sidney 2000.  

“I am committed, absolutely proud and my heart is ready to represent my country, and more importantly, willing to show every Peruvian the effort, perseverance and abilities on this sport,” the Para athlete affirmed.  

Para powerlifting is a sport that requires a lot of time for training, but just a short time for competition. The event consists of 2 minutes and three attempts, and Amalia wants to demonstrate she is still present and planning on getting a medal.  

“This motivates me and I do it with pride because it is a great opportunity for women to represent Paralympic sports,” the Para athlete added. 

The complete Mexican delegation is now in Lima. “We are here to have a good time, but we want to give our best to win the most medals,” concluded Amalia.  

Para powerlifting will be held in Sports Center 2 at the National Sports Village (VIDENA) from August 29 to 31, and if you want to enjoy the performance of this world and Olympic champion, you can get your tickets at the official web page lima2019.pe/tickets and the authorized points of sale. 

Tiredness was no excuse. The Mexican delegation had a great time upon their arrival at Jorge Chávez International Airport. The delegation of over 70 persons arrived at 23:00 and was welcomed with a big surprise: an artistic performance in charge of Lima Airport Partners, which included typical dances from Peru’s coast, highlands and jungle. Dancers wearing typical costumes performed various Peruvian dances, such as Marinera Norteña, Huaylas and La Anaconda. 

“We want to welcome you to the best Parapan American Games in history. All Peruvians are working for you to enjoy these Games. The only thing you have to worry about is representing your teams in the best way possible. The rest is on us,” said Amalia Moreno, Lima 2019 secretary general, who welcomed the Para athletes and declared that these Games will serve us “to reflect on inclusion and accessibility.” 

Sergio Durand, secretary of the Mexican Paralympic Committee, spoke on behalf of the delegation. “We want to thank you for this wonderful welcome; we really appreciate this gesture. We Mexicans feel very happy and at home here. I always see smiles, kind and hard-working people, always there to help us,” said the officer with an “Arriba Perú” (Let’s go Peru) shout.  

Para athletes recorded videos and took selfies during the dance performance, also shouting “Mexico, Mexico!” Among the main athletes of this delegation we have Para powerlifters Patricia Bárcenas and Amalia Pérez, five-time Paralympic medalist. 

Amalia Pérez said that they are “really thankful for this reception, also because there is a commitment to adapted sports inclusion, and this performance is an opportunity to learn more about Peru’s culture.”  

The Parapan American Games will start on August 23 and will end on September 1. Get your tickets at the official website lima2019.pe/tickets and at the authorized points of sale. 

1. Mexican racquetball player Paola Longoria won her third gold in the Pan American Games, winning the singles and doubles events.
2. Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas took her first gold in the Pan American Games, after winning the triple jump event, even setting a new Pan American record.
3. Colombian cyclist Mariana Pajón got her second gold medal in the Pan American Games, after the one she won at Guadalajara 2011.
4. Argentina’s basketball team clearly won the competition and picked up their second gold medal since Mar del Plata 1995. The team led by Luis Scola amazed the audience at the Eduardo Dibós Coliseum.
5. The Argentina’s hockey teams qualified to Tokyo 2020, showing their talent in each match, at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. “Las Leonas” got their seventh gold and “Los Leones”, the tenth. Total Supremacy.
6. Brazilian tennis player Hugo Calderano won two gold medals in singles and doubles. The best player in the history of the Americas shone in Lima 2019 with his best talent.
7. Cuban wrestler Mijaín López reached his fifth consecutive Pan American gold at Lima 2019. The athlete who is also five-time world champion and three-time Olympic champion thanked the warmth of the Peruvian people.
8. Argentinian men’s rugby team stopped the two-time Canadian champion’s supremacy in the Pan American Games. Los Pumas swept all their rivals, in an amazing physical game, in Villa Maria del Triunfo.
9. Cuban Boxing shone again in a continental competition with eight gold medals out of 10 possible finals. Seven world champions and three Olympians confirmed that Cuba leads in this sport.
10. Brazilian swimmer Leonardo de Deus became three-time Pan American champion in the 200 m butterfly event, even though he was not on the Brazilian Olympic Committee’s initial list. He came in to replace a teammate who tested positive in the doping control. In addition, he claimed gold in mixed 4x100 medley relay, silver in 4x100 medley relay and bronze in 200 m backstroke.
11. Venezuelan fencer Ruben Limardo was crowned three-time Pan American champion in épée event. He also won bronze in the team event, having a total of eight medals in the Pan American Games.
12. Argentinian swimmer Delfina Pignatiello was crowned as the queen of the waters at Lima 2019, when she claimed three gold medals in the races of 400, 800 and 1500 meters. At the age of 19, she is the child prodigy in swimming throughout South America.
13. The American swimmer Margo Geer took four gold medals, one individual and four in relay events, becoming one of the most successful participants in Lima 2019.
14. Colombian athlete Anthony Zambrano won two gold medals in the 400m and 4x400m events, standing out as one of the new South American stars in athletics for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
15. Mexican diver Kevin Berlin was crowned as the new Latin American star after winning the 10m platform individual and synchronized events.
16. Cuban judoka Idalys Ortíz picked up her third consecutive gold medal in the +78 kg event. She is one of the most successful athletes in Cuba.
17. American wrestler Kyle Snyder became Pan American champion for the second time in the 97 kg event.  At the age of 23, he is also Olympic champion and two-time world champion.
18. Swimmer Marcela Cunha won gold in open water swimming and closed a wonderful year, after two world gold medals in the 5 and 25 km aquatic marathon. With 10 gold medals, she was crowned as the woman with the most titles in the World Aquatic Sports Championships and entered the Hall of Fame, after winning at Lima 2019.
19. Peruvian karateka Alexandra Grande and water skier Natalia Cuglievan went down in the history of Peruvian sport after winning their second consecutive gold medals in the Pan American Games. This fact will remain in history.

Many images will remain in our memory, since that July 24, when the eighteenth edition of the Pan American Games started in the beach volleyball courts of Costa Verde San Miguel. The 6680 athletes that visited Lima 2019 left us beautiful moments of triumph and defeat that will forever carved in the memory of each person that had the chance of being part of this sport celebration of the Americas.

1. The Games opening ceremony was a reunion with our culture and national identity. The most touching moment was the participation of the tenor Juan Diego Flórez, singing live Chabuca Granda´s songs.
2. The first medal for Peru was awarded on July 27, in taekwondo – Poomsae. The silver medal for Hugo del Castillo and the medal awarded to Marcela Castillo ignited the fans at the Callao Sports Center.
3. The first gold medal for Peru was awarded on that same day. Gladys Tejeda, and Christian Pacheco right after, broke Pan American records in marathon to earn their medals.
4. Peru ended that memorable July 27 with a third gold medal, after the victory of Diego Elías in squash. In just one day, Peruvian athletes matched the best gold medal count on Pan American Games. 
5. British Virgin Islands (Chantel Malone in long jump), Grenada (Anderson Peters in javelin throw), Bolivia (in racquetball in teams), Barbados (Shane Brathwaite in 110 meters hurdles) and Paraguay (Fabrizio Zanotti in golf) won their first gold medals in the history of the Pan American Games. An indelible memory for these nations in Lima 2019. In addition, Aruba won its first medal with the bronze obtained by Mack van den Eerenbeemt in sailing.
6. Andrea Vargas became the first Costa Rican women to win a gold medal in athletics for her country. She defeated two Americans in the 100 meters hurdles event.
7. Natalia Cuglievan and Alexandra Grande won their second consecutive gold medal .in Pan American Games. They are the most prize-winning Peruvian athletes in this kind of continental events.
8. Peruvian surf took three golds in an unprecedented session in Punta Rocas. Benoit Clemente, Daniella Rosas and Luca Mesinas reached the top of the Pan American podium.                                       
9. Romantic moments. The Argentinian gymnast Federico Molinari proposes to her fiancée Paula Cancio during a live interview. In addition, Peruvian athlete Paola Mautino was surprised by her fiancé and coach, after competing in the 4x100 m event, when he approached her, a ring in his hand, to ask her to marry him.
10. Men's karate reached a milestone for Peruvian sport: four medals in four finals. The kata men’s team took the gold. Peru won three bronzes in the men’s and women’s individual kata and in the women’s team event.
11. The moving drop-off from Argentinian judoka Paula Pareto because of an injury. She fought with a back pain in Lima 2019, but she did it as a champion. However, she could not fight for the bronze and lost by walk-over.
12. In the 4x100 freestyle relay, Brazil defeated USA and completely destroyed the Pan American record at the Aquatic Center.
13. The uncontrollable crying of Brazilian Ederson Vilela at the top of the podium, after winning the 10000 m event at the athletics stadium of VIDENA. Vilela confessed that he did not think he could win this event, that his hopes were on the 5000 m event where he placed seventh.
14. Brazil won the 1500 meters swimming event, after 68 years, in Buenos Aires 1951. Guilherme Costa dominated the men’s endurance event.
15. The Brazilian women’s handball team won its fifth consecutive gold in Lima 2019 by defeating Argentina, for the third consecutive time in this kind of event.
16. Eve Jobs, Steve Jobs’ daughter, competed in the equestrian jumping event and won bronze in the individual contest. The Apple's co-founder heir was very happy with how Peru welcomed her.
17. Argentina made the podium in every group sport, except in women’s basketball. The women’s team lost its match against Colombia by W.O. because athletes were not wearing the uniform agreed at the technical meeting the day before.
18. Nathan Adrian, one of the biggest USA swimming stars, won two gold and three silver medals in Lima. The American swimmers praised the Games organization and was amazed by the five cuchimilcos he received in the podium.
19. The Mexican diver Paola Espinosa reached an amazing score in Lima 2019 by winning her fifth medal in Pan American Games, something that will be forever carved in Mexico’s sport history.

The last meters of the race were shocking. Laura Galván sped with all her strength in order to leave Jessica Marie O´Connell behind and win the gold medal. 

At the age of 27, the Mexican athlete, born in Guanajuato, was only five seconds away from the Pan American record to give Mexico a new god medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. “I trained really hard and the strategy was to endure and resist, and that’s how things happened,” stated Galván. 

The atmosphere—cold due to the weather—turned warm thanks to the continuous cheers of the audience at the Athletics Stadium of the VIDENA. “There was a lot of emotion and encouragement to Peruvian athletes, but I avoided the distraction and focused on the race,” stated the Mexican athlete.  

Her nails were decorated with the Mexican flag and she showed them smiling along with her gold medal, “I got my nails done in Mexico before coming, the flags are a way to represent my country and be able to win the medal,” emphasized Galván, who also added that the ceramic Milco “is a beautiful present, typical from here and it’s a proof that the Games are spectacular.” Did you know that Virgin Islands won her first won medal at the Lima 2019 Games?  

Peruvian Saida Meneses broke her own mark and established a new South American record in the under-23 category with a time of 15.47.16. “I learned that I must use another type of strategy when facing incredible runners. Even though I broke my record, I was left with the desire to win the medal. However, I know more opportunities will come,” stated the Peruvian athlete. 

Hundredths of a second separated the Mexican athlete, Fernando Martínez, from his opponents in the heart-stopping final for the 5000 meters, on the third day of the emblematic sport: athletics.

At the beginning, Martínez was behind the representatives of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, who were leading the competition during the first four laps of this exhausting race. However, the cheers of the Mexican public gave him strength and allowed him to take the lead and surpass his rivals, in the last stretch, only for a few seconds.

After winning the gold medal, with a time of 13 minutes, 53 seconds and 87 hundredths, the long-distance runner approached the grandstands, where he was praised by the fans.

Ecstatic by this remarkable triumph, he celebrated to the rhythm of the traditional rancheras, putting on the hat of the Mexican mariachis.

Imitating the characteristic movements of this recognized manifestation of Aztec folklore, he said goodbye to the public gathered at the Athletics Stadium in the National Sports Village.

The Mexican athlete shared the podium with Brazilian Altobeli Santos Da Silva, who made a total time of 13 minutes, 54 seconds and 42 hundredths; and with Chilean Carlos Díaz del Río, who finished at 13 minutes, 54 seconds and 43 hundredths.

It is worth mentioning that this is the 22nd gold medal for Mexico at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. In addition, this is the second medal in athletics for Mexico, after Risper Biyaki, who won the silver medal in the women’s 10,000 meters event.