Without a doubt, the constant feature and trademark of the Pan American Games, which come to an end tonight, has been the unconditional support of Peruvian fans and the fans from different countries of the Americas. Their support has been recognized by outstanding athletes of the continental competition.

Kevin Martínez, gold medalist in Peruvian Fronton singles, highlighted the fact that this discipline of Basque pelota made its debut in the Pan American Games and said he was “very happy” to be the ambassador of this 100% Peruvian sport.    

“It’s an honor to represent this Peruvian sport that we’re slowly sharing with the world and to give Peru its tenth gold medal (of the Games),” he said.

Later, he welcomed the presence of the president of Peru, Martín Vizcarra, at the medal ceremony of his competition and revealed that the president is a former fronton player: “we’ve agreed to play a match to pick up fronton again.”

SUPPORT ON ALL COURTS

Karatekas John Trebejo, Carlos Lam and Oliver del Castillo reiterated how much it meant to them to win the gold medal in men’s team kata surrounded by the universal support of the public.

“This can unite us in order to move forward. Sports are a great tool for change. We’re happy and enjoying this celebration. We’ve been working for a long time. Carlos, Oliver and I are such good friends; I knew we could achieve something historic,” confessed John.

Likewise, Tamil Martino, silver medalist in stand up paddle surfing, said that he had never felt so much support and affection from fans in a competition before.

“That was crucial to us doing well as a team. We, as well as the Peruvian surfing community, are proud that we have been included in such an important championship like the Olympic-level Pan American Games. This is the first time that surf is part of a competition of this level and we were able to prove to Peru that Peruvian surf is a first-rate sport,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Brazilian Rafaella Silva, world, Olympic and Pan American champion in judo, was pleased to represent her country at Lima 2019 and with how this continental event will contribute to her preparation for the world championship.

Villa María del Triunfo district was the stage for an exciting fan battle, as part of the match between Peru and Venezuela,for the preliminary round of women’s softball. This sport brings together the most experienced players in the Americas. 

During the match, Peruvian fans claimed their status as hosts with their usual chants, while Venezuelan fans sang their own softball chants.

Both fanbases cheered on their teams in each inning, trying to outdo each other in terms of passion and energy at all times. In each grandstand, fans sang so joyfully that the stadium came alive with celebration. It seemed as if the championship final were taking place.

The match result was not favorable for Peru, as they lost 5-3 against the Venezuelan team. In spite of this, Peruvian spectators’ support remained constant until the end of the match. With this event, the opening day of women’s softball competitions came to an end.

The Peruvian women’s softball team coach, Manuel Llames Cabrera, stated that “fans are the eleventh player, so their presence is very important for us. Their constant support is very valuable because they can see the results of the team’s demanding training.”

At the end of the match, the Peruvian team thanked their fans for cheering on them. Even though the Peruvian team did not win, it remains clear that they will always be supported by their fans in upcoming competitions.

The largest sports event in the Americas opened August with a wide range of competitions, which will offer attendees an unforgettable multi-sports show. The top delegations in the continent will try to reach a spot on the podium and claim the gold in the most number of disciplines.

In this context, the men’s softball final will take place at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center from 10:00 to 17:50. In this first final, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded. The finalists are Argentina, Mexico and United States.

In the evening, at the National University of San Marcos, the Peruvian football team will play against Honduras and will try to bounce back from its previous loss. The football competitions will kick off with a match between Panama and Ecuador at 10:00.

As a prelude to the end of the boxing competitions, the Miguel Grau Coliseum will house today the fights between the boxing finalists in different categories starting at 19:00. The best boxers will be awarded in the medal ceremony, including the delegations from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Brazil and United States.

Additionally, in shooting, one of the most acclaimed precision sports, athletes will compete for the gold at the Las Palmas Air Base Shooting Range from 09:00 to 14:30.

Also, the diving competitions will be held from 10:00 to 22:00 at the VIDENA Aquatic Center and are divided into two sessions.

Cycling track will feature the best cyclists in the Americas, who will give their all to win the gold. The competitions will be divided into two sessions and will be held from 11:05 to 20:11 at the Velodrome of the National Sports Village (VIDENA).

Moreover, the qualification rounds in indoor volleyball, tennis, surfing, hockey, equestrian sports, baseball, handball, basketball and badminton will continue in order to define the finalists.

To get more information about the competition schedule and results, you can visit the website: https://www.lima2019.pe/resultados.

They come from different corners of Lima, motivated by the passion for the Venezuelan softball team. The distance that they must travel to Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center does not matter when there is so much love for the team. Several families live in nearby districts, but others must travel for hours, like a group that came all the way from Independencia to see their three cousins compete at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Because of them, softball games are more than just two-hour encounters. Even at the end of the seven innings, Venezuelan pride is present. The most impressive moment took place on July 28, in the match against Peru, as more than 2000 people took part in an amusing fan duel, which ended up in fans and players singing the Venezuelan national anthem. It was something that reached the heart of the team.

“It makes us proud to see many Venezuelans in Lima supporting us. They sang the national anthem to us and that gave us goosebumps. We even wanted to cry, so we rewarded their support by singing along. I feel excited but also sad because they cannot have the future they want in our country, so they had to travel far away,’’ said batter Jorge Lima.

Then, Ángel Herrera added: “We are playing these matches at Lima 2019 as if we were at home with all that support, and somehow we give back by bringing them a little piece of the country, the homes they left behind in Venezuela. The children who don't play baseball play softball. That makes them love our sport. We are grateful.’’

SOFTBALL AT LIMA 2019

The Peruvian softball team will participate in the Pan American Games for the first time. Six teams will play in a round-robin preliminary round to advance to the next stage. The sport is governed by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) regulations. The game consists of seven innings, where each team alternates batting and fielding. Finally, the team that scores the most runs wins.

Here is the rest of the men's softball calendar: Show them your support and buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets:

Most of them play in an amateur league, where love for the sport is stronger than receiving a salary for it. However, the professionalism of Argentina's softball team is not in question. Their recent world title in the Czech Republic helped them get the recognition of a system where soccer is the most popular sport. Now, they have the support of the States.

Argentina arrived at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games to claim the gold, by competing against nations with more softball tradition. For years, they have been on the podium of several continental competitions, but they hope to achieve a milestone for Argentine sport at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center.

Most of the Argentinian team members that arrived at Lima are from the Entre Ríos province, north of Buenos Aires. Many of them train for hours, in order to keep succeeding, but off the court they have a job like everyone else. Some of them, like Federico Eder, promote this sport at schools. Of course, ad honorem.

“It’s a disadvantage not to be an Olympic sport, but we haven’t given up on our goal and people still practice softball. This is the result of many years of work. Many of us play this sport since the age of 4 and come from the city of Paraná, in the province of Entre Ríos. That’s the capital of softball in Argentina. Softball is way more important there than soccer, and those who are not from the city live there too,” said Eder.

Meanwhile, Argentinian star Huemul Mata, the only player featured in a professional league, stressed the team’s perseverance. “As an amateur team, we’ve been through so many things, but we enjoy it despite all the struggles. Some of my colleagues have made sacrifices even greater than mine. Sometimes you travel only for the experience, but after the recognition we had for winning the World Cup, I feel satisfied with everything sport has given me,” said Mata.

SOFTBALL AT LIMA 2019

The Peruvian softball team will participate for the first time in the Pan American Games. After training in several Caribbean nations, Peru was able to place 6th in the Pan American ranking. Peru will make its debut against Cuba in the afternoon (16:00). Show them your support and buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets.

Six teams will play in a round-robin preliminary round to move to the next stage. The sport is governed by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) regulations. The game consists of seven innings, where each team alternates batting and fielding. Finally, the team that scores the most runs wins.

Here's the rest of the men's softball calendar:

You can buy your tickets for these matches on the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games website: www.lima2019.pewww.lima2019.pe

You can also buy your tickets at any authorized point of sale at the Metro and Wong hypermarkets 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 mentioning that a new point of sale has just opened at the Jockey Plaza shopping center in Santiago de Surco.

Photo gallery (click here)

The race for the Pan American podium will continue on Thursday, July 25. The Lima 2019 Pan American Games got underway with a series of riveting beach volleyball and handball matches. It is now turn for bowling, modern pentathlon, softball and squash competitions to start.

Women's preliminary handball matches, USA vs Dominican Republic (13:00-15:00), Cuba vs Puerto Rico (15:30-17:30), Peru vs Argentina (18:00-20:00) and Canada vs Brazil (20:30-22:30), are part of the sports program to take place at National Sports Village (VIDENA) in San Luis.

Beach volleyball competitions will continue today: 16 matches, in women's and men’s categories, will be held at Costa Verde Center San Miguel from 9:00 to 15:40.

JOIN US ON THE FIELD

At VIDENA, six men's doubles bowling events will be held from 9:00 to 13:00, while women’s doubles will take place from 16:00 to 20:00. Modern pentathlon will begin with the jumping events starting at 10:00 at Chorrillos Military School.

Men's softball preliminary round game between Mexico vs Argentina will go from 10:00 to 12:30 at Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. Right after that, Venezuela and United States will clash from 13:00 to 15:30. Peru will close the session as they face off Cuba (16:00-18:30).

Finally, squash events in women’s singles, men’s singles and men’s doubles will be held from 9:00 to 15:00 at VIDENA In the quarterfinals, women’s singles will start at 18:45, while men’s singles will do so at 19:45. To learn more about the program, check out www.lima2019.pe

Let us not forget that Peruvian and international athletes need strong encouragement from us, sports fans, to win as many medals as possible.

You still have the chance to buy your tickets for any of the 26 sports that are available at lima2019.pe/tickets Some of them are: Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, softball, boxing, archery, baseball, taekwondo, hockey, squash and surf.

Tickets for beach volleyball, shooting, volleyball, racquetball, basketball 3x3, cycling, badminton, track cycling, Basque pelota, karate, tennis, swimming, handball, table tennis and weightlifting are also available.

Lima will host the largest multi-sports event in the Americas in just three days. You cannot miss it! The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be a colorful celebration. There are still chances for the best fanbase in the world to get tickets and root for Peruvian athletes. You will also see the continent’s best athletes in action. Some of them will compete to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Football is one of the most anticipated events for Peruvian fans because the U-22 team, made up of the best talents from the Peruvian league, will go for the gold medal under the guidance of Nolberto Solano. Alianza Lima players Kevin Quevedo and Aldair Fuentes, along with Sporting Cristal's Gianfranco Chavez and Jesus Pretel are part of the team that will seek glory in the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos stadium.

Likewise, there are other events that you cannot miss. The best wrestlers, like American world star Kyle Snyder, as well as Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling champion and Cuban legend Mijain Lopez, will compete at Miguel Grau Coliseum in Callao.

You can also watch the current men’s softball champions at the Villa María del Triunfo venue: Argentina. Meanwhile, the biggest stars of Central American and Caribbean baseball will also shine in Southern Lima. Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center will also bear witness to the excellent level of the current Olympic men’s hockey champions, the “Leones” from Argentina.

The Cuba boxing team, consisting of seven world champions and three Olympic champions, will go for the ten gold medals on the ring of Miguel Grau Coliseum. This district will also see the best taekwondo fighters in the whole world compete in the tatami of the Callao Sport Center. Peruvian representatives Marcela Castillo, Hugo del Castillo and Julissa Diez Canseco will go for the gold medal. Let’s go and cheer them up so they can achieve their dream!

Peru also has good chance of winning gold in the squash, shooting and surf events. Diego Elías, the eighth best squash players in the world, is in top form to pick up a gold medal at the VIDENA Volleyball CAR. Meanwhile, ‘Piccolo’ Clemente and nine other surfers will seek glory in Punta Rocas beach. Alessandro de Souza and Nicolás Pacheco will enthusiastically represent the Peruvian shooting team in Las Palmas shooting range.

You can also root for the women’s pair made up by Lisbeth Alca and Alexandra Mendoza, who want to earn a gold medal for Peru in the beach volleyball event. The Peruvian women's volleyball team needs support for the competition against the mighty Dominican Republic, Canada and USA teams, which will also go for the gold at Callao Sports Center.

The best female racquetball player ever will also be at the Callao Regional Sports Center. In addition, the best basketball, swimming, table tennis and karate stars will arrive in Lima to give their best performance in their respective events.

Tickets are still available for other disciplines such as Basque pelota, tennis, weightlifting and handball, with the historic derby Brazil vs. Argentina.

Ticket prices start at PEN 10, with a discount

Ticket prices start at PEN 20 or 10 for the Pan American and Parapan American Games, respectively. There will be 50% off for anyone under the age of 18, senior citizens and people with an impairment.

Fans can buy their tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets. The Lima 2019 Organizing Committee has recently installed a point of sale at Jockey Plaza Shopping Center, in Santiago de Surco. This new point of sale joins the other ten already located in Metro and Wong supermarkets, in the districts of Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.

It should be noted that 21 disciplines in the Pan American Games are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while 13 Para sports will be qualifiers for the Paralympic Games.

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

Men’s softball will be one of the sports that makes its debut at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Because of the expectation surrounding this debut, the Peruvian men’s team, that came together for this edition of the Pan American Games, has been working hard to be in optimal conditions for the competition. They are currently training in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, until Monday, July 22.

Moreover, they have gained a lot of experience with the addition 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 feels like a Peruvian and plays as an outfielder on the team. 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, the 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, the pitcher of the Peruvian team.

The team shared their thoughts on 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 Riquelme.

“I look forward to fighting for Peru and to put my heart and soul into it. I wish the stadium was ready. Seeing the stands packed will be exciting,” added the Peruvian softball player.

ABOUT THE LIMA 2019 COMPETITION

Softball will be contested 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 team in first place will face the one placed second, and the third will play against the fourth.

The men’s team will make its debut against Cuba on July 25, at 16:00. It will also play against Mexico on July 27 and against Venezuela on July 28. Both matches will 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 advances directly to the Grand Final. Meanwhile, the loser of the first pool faces the winner of the second pool in the final. The winner of this last match qualifies to the final round, the Grand Final, and competes against the winner of the first pool for the gold medal.

The competition will take place at the 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 see us so that you can enjoy the best sport in the world,” concluded Diego Riquelme.

See the fixture