For the first time, Peru will be the venue of the Pan American Congress of Sports Medicine, where international and national speakers will participate. This will strengthen the Peruvian physicians team who will be in the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games.
The president of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic; the Lima 2019 Executive Director, Carlos Neuhaus Tudela; the president of the Panam Sports Medical Commission, Bernardo Chernilo; and the Secretary General of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, Carlos Manuel Lazarte, attended the opening ceremony of this important congress organized by Lima 2019 through its Operations Management Office and Medical Services Department. The event will finish on Friday, May 10.
During the ceremony, Neven Ilic praised the organization of this congress that was attended by 600 health professionals including physicians and nurses, specialists in physical rehabilitation and nutrition, who were registered for free to update their knowledge. “We’re 78 days away from this marvelous sports event. As Peruvians, you will feel proud of what will happen at Lima 2019. We’re working with professionalism to provide the highest level of service. Peru will have a historical legacy for life,” he stated.
“This congress and the work of the Panam Sports Medical Commission are very important for athlete health care, which is critical for us. The Medical Commission were amazed by the facilities of the venues where they will work at, which comply with international standards,” added Neven Ilic.
Carlos Neuhaus, meanwhile, talked about the progress made by Lima 2019. “We’re in the final stage of the organization. We’re investing to have a modern sports infrastructure. It’s important because sports help youth, create better people, and prevent bad habits, drugs and crime. So, we're working hard to leave this legacy to sports and health,” he said.
For his part, the president of the Panam Sports Medical Commission said he was grateful for the opportunity to hold the Congress in Peru. “This is the basis for the continuity of medical knowledge. We’re glad for the support provided by Lima 2019 to this meeting of health professionals. Politicians should take sports as a central issue because it allows countries to have a good work performance thanks to physical activity. With this, we can make a better country,” said Bernardo Chernilo.
Finally, the COP representative, Carlos Manuel Lazarte, said that “medicine is important for athletes. Its support is invaluable. In addition, it will help us to control the Games fair play, which is key to Olympism. Without health professionals, it wouldn’t be possible to compete at the best level, in a healthy and fair manner.”
Congress
The presentations at the Medical Congress were about prevention and injuries during sports competitions, immobilization and transportation of injured athletes, adequate hydration of athletes, use and abuse of nutritional supplements, doping, clinical complexity of Parapan American athletes, etc.
This congress seeks to raise awareness among the Peruvian medical society on the importance of the development of sports medicine in the country, as well as to promote the exchange of medical and scientific knowledge among experts in sports medicine in the Americas.
Additionally, the II Accreditation of Doping Control Officers will be held in parallel, which will allow Peruvian officers to be ready for the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Their role will be to guarantee the correct collection of samples for doping control and analysis.
Sixty Peruvian officers, trained by the National Anti-doping Commission of Peru (CONAD), are currently attending the accreditation course and will be evaluated by experts from the Panam Sports Medical Commission in real situations in control tests to national athletes.
ABOUT THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES AND PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES
The Lima 2019 Pan American Games will welcome the 41 National Olympic Committees that comprise Panam Sports, and will gather 6680 athletes taking part in 39 sports and 62 disciplines between July 26 and August 11. Likewise, the Parapan American Games will gather 1890 athletes participating in 17 sports and 18 disciplines between August 23 and September 1. Lima 2019 will be a qualifying event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which guarantees the presence of the top athletes in these sport disciplines.
ABOUT PANAM SPORTS
Panam Sports (formerly known as Pan American Sports Organization - PASO) is the governing body of the Pan American Games, and its structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter. Panam Sports is the leader of sports and the Olympic Movement in the Americas and encourages the sports development and supports the work of its members in order to inspire more world-class performances and the next generation of athletes across our region.