A large audience attended to the High-performance Sports Center at Punta Rocas and Peruvian representatives gave their best, even though the sea conditions were not the best. Daniella Rosas and Lucca Mesinas qualified to the second round of the only qualifying event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, Benoit "Piccolo" Clemente was cheered for the incredible maneuvers performed in the last heat. "There were no good waves, but this will improve, and better maneuvers will be performed. There was a great family atmosphere. That encouragement is important for athletes to keep going through the rounds to the final," he said.

"Piccolo" will participate in the second main qualifying round against Anthony Flores from Costa Rica this Wednesday at 11:40. "It is amazing to live this sports celebration in Peru with gold medals. We are under the spotlight. Congratulations to all athletes for this achievement. We, as part of the Peruvian national team, will contribute to making this historic event even bigger," he said.

Likewise, María Fernanda Reyes beat Michelle Soriano from Ecuador in the women’s category. The repechage stage of Round 1 will continue tomorrow at 09:00 with Alonso Correa and Melanie Giunta. Moreover, the first main round of the SUP surf category will begin, in which Peruvian athletes Tamil Martino and Vania Torres will compete.

Punta Rocas beach is closely related to surf in Peru since the year in which Felipe Pomar won the World Surfing Championship in 1965 for the first time in Peru. Tickets are still available for preliminary rounds at www.lima2019.pe/tickets and at the ten authorized Teleticket centers.

SURF IN LIMA 2019

During the Pan American Games, we will have open surf, longboard, paddle surf and sup race for men and women. The competition will be conducted in compliance with the established rules of the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Pan American Surfing Association (PASA) from June 29 to August 4.

The event will take place in heats, with a double-elimination format. Surfers 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 the case of a two-athlete heat, the first advances in the event. In a three- or four-athlete heat, the first two will advance in the event.

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.

Members of the Peruvian sailing team took a break from training on the way to Lima 2019 to get involved in an environmental initiative which is aimed at preserving the sea in Paracas. Renowned windsurfer María Belén Bazo gathered the best Peruvian sailors who put their hands to work, joined by local volunteers and school students.

The activity took place this morning on El Chaco beach at the Bahía de Paracas, which will host Lima 2019 sailing competitions. Sailors Stefano Peschiera, Alessio Botteri, Matías Panizzo, Renzo Sanguineti, Francesco Puliatti and Jean Paul de Trazegnies helped collect over 50 bags full of plastic waste from the Peruvian sea.

“We sailors spend all day at sea and, actually, it’s just horrible to see more and more garbage in our beaches. In this activity, we managed to take out plastic bags and even old tires. They’re not supposed to be here. I hope this makes us Peruvians aware of the need to take care of the environment,” stated Bazo.

Peschiera, in turn, was glad to see the people’s cooperation. “I’m proud to be doing this environmental work to help our beaches. I think it’s important to spread these values to the younger generations, like those schoolchildren who helped us take so much plastic out of the sea. I do hope we Peruvians think twice before polluting our sea,” remarked Peschiera.

SAILING AT LIMA 2019

Sailing competitions will take place at the Peruvian Yacht Club in Paracas from August 3 to 11. In total, events in nine categories will be held, including two men’s events (Laser standard and RS-X), three women’s (Laser standard, RS-X and 49er FX), two open (Sunfish and Formula Kite) and three mixed (snipe, Nacra 17 and lightning).

The races will take place on a course marked by colored buoys placed by the race committee. The orientation of the course will be set up so that the first leg of the race will be to windward (except for Kite Foiling, which will have a reach start), with the starting line at right angles to the wind.

Bahía de Paracas is considered the best location for sailing races due to the wind that blows over the seaside during certain hours of the afternoon, which enables boats to reach high speeds. The competition zone comprises an aquatic area with a minimum area of 35,000 square meters, unaffected by currents.

To follow the Peruvian team, buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets and at the authorized points of sale, Teleticket from Metro and Wong, 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 Jockey Plaza shopping center, located in Surco.

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 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. Thirteen sports will be qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Find the full gallery here

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.

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.