At noon, an important agreement was signed between the National Paralympic Association of Peru (ANPP) and LATAM Airlines Peru, its main beneficiaries will be Para athletes, who will be able to attend the competitions at national and international level. The President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus, participated in this event that will promote the Paralympic sport in our country.
As a result of this agreement, the airline company will provide 400 national and international flight tickets so that Para athletes can participate in competitions at home and abroad. The agreement was signed by Lucha Villar, President of the ANPP and Manuel Van Oordt, CEO of LATAM Airlines Peru.
Carlos Neuhaus stressed the importance of signing this agreement for the promotion of Para sport in Peru. “When I took up this challenge I knew that my main reward would be the medals earned by the athletes and the effort that they will put into winning. I feel that they will proudly represent Peru. The culmination of all of our work will be to see our Peruvian athletes on the podium. LATAM’s support will be fundamental to promote Para sport. We now face the challenge of receiving thousands of athletes and that's the purpose of our work,” added the President of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee.
The President of the ANPP said that she is excited to sign this agreement because it will allow Peruvian Para athletes to compete in different tournaments. “I’m very excited to reach this agreement. The main beneficiaries will be the goalball, football 5-a-side, football 7-a-side, Para swimming, judo, shooting Para sport, boccia and Para cycling athletes who are joining us today. This will allow us to make the Paralympic movement accessible to all in all regions. We will be the largest Peruvian delegation at a Parapan American Games and we're preparing for this, so ‘Lets all play,’” added Lucha Villar.
Meanwhile, Manuel Van Oordt, representing LATAM, stated that “it's an honor to work with the ANPP. We knew that it is going to be an enormous responsibility and we have relied on the support provided by the association to help us understand and transport the Para athletes. We are now doing everything possible to help them compete well. We are grateful to Lima 2019 for allowing us to be the official airline for the Games,” he said.
During the ceremony, Jose Gonzales Mugaburu, Para swimming Paralympic medalist in the Toronto 1976 Paralympic Games, received two flight tickets for an international destination in recognition of his extensive and successful career in the country and abroad.
ABOUT LIMA 2019
The Lima 2019 Pan American Games is a continental event that will gather 6680 athletes from 41 countries and will open on July 26 at the National Stadium. There will be 17 days of competitions, which will take place in 14 districts of Lima and Callao. Some of the main venues will be the VIDENA, Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, Callao Regional Sports 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 welcome 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries, who will participate in 17 Para 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.