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The Pan American flame was lit. , The Fire Lighting Ceremony which is a sports tradition in the Americas will take place on Tuesday, July 2 at the Teotihuacan ruins in Mexico. This officially starts the last stage of preparations for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
The Pan American Torch will be lit at the Plaza del Basamento Escalonado de la Luna, in the Teotihuacan archaeological zone, from there it will travel to Peru and go to Machu Picchu, where it will start a journey that will bring together two millenarian American civilizations. Peru and Mexico are regarded as the birthplace of the most important cultures in the continent, giving this ceremony a significant importance.
The Teotihuacan ruins constitute the starting point for the lighting of the Pan American Flame, since, according to Aztec mythology, this area was chosen by the gods to create the center of the universe. Reason why the ceremony will develop in the midst of ancestral Aztec rituals.
The ceremony will start at 11:00 and will have the 41 flags of the countries participating of the Pan American Games, to start next July 26. The Lighting of the New Fire will be the main event of the ceremony. The New Fire, later to be called the Pan American Flame, will arrive to Peru, more precisely to Cuzco, on July 4, just two days after the ritual in Mexico.
As part of the awaited ceremony in Aztec soil- which will officially start the Games - since Lima was chosen as host for the Pan American Games, there will be a presentation by the representatives of the School of Fine Arts of the State of Mexico, who will offer their art and dexterity in different ritual dances.
Lighting Ceremony
The lighting ceremony will be in charge if the Organizing Committee authorities of Lima 2019, lead by their president, Carlos Neuhaus, a representative from Panam Sports, and one from the Mexican Olympic Committee, who will be hosts to the visiting delegations.
After the Lighting, the Pan American Torch relay will begin, the first torchbearer will be a Lima 2019 Ambassador and Karate gold medalist at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, Alexandra Grande, who is one of the best bets for a Peruvian win at the international competition to be held in our country.
Another Lima 2019 Ambassador will also be there, Pilar Jáuregui, part of the Para Badminton world’s top ten and who will compete in the Parapan American Games, starting on August 23.
The beginning of the Pan American Torch’s journey to Cuzco, considered the Navel of the World and Historical Capital of Peru, will take place after relays. This will be the first city where the Pan American Flame will land as soon as it arrives from Mexico.
THE ROUTE OF THE TORCH IN PERU
The Pan American Torch route in Peru will start with the lighting of the flame at the Machu Picchu Inca citadel, in Cuzco, on Thursday July 5 and will last 23 days.
The Pan American Torch will travel through 26 cities in the Andes, the Jungle and the Coast of Peru, visiting landmarks such as the Rainbow Mountain, in Cuzco; the Colca Valley, in Arequipa; the Nazca Lines, in Ica; the Titicaca Lake, in Puno; the Ruins of Chan Chan, in La Libertad; among the main attractions of the country.
The journey will end on July 26 at the National Stadium, where the Opening Ceremony for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will take place.
THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES
The Opening Ceremony of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games will be held at the National Stadium on July 26, 2019. This continental event will gather 6680 athletes from 41 countries and delegations from the Americas.
The Games will take place in various venues such as the VIDENA in San Luis, Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, Callao Regional Village, Villa El Salvador Sports Center, Punta Rocas High Performance Surfing Sports Center, 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. There will be more sports than in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where a total of 32 sports will be featured. There will be 22 qualifying disciplines for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
