X MENU
Institucional
The Pan American Torch will be lit tomorrow in the Teotihuacán ruins, the Mexican archaeological complex, before leaving for Peru. Just one day before the Relay and 25 days before the Opening Ceremony, a press conference was held at the Mexican Olympic Committee premises, where the Pan American Torch was displayed for the Mexican people.
The president of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee, Carlos Neuhaus; Panam Sports president, Neven Ilic; Peru’s ambassador in Mexico, Julio Garro Gálvez; and Panam Sports secretary general, Ivar Sisniega, attended the event, held in Mexico City.
The colorful Pan American Torch measures 63 centimeters and weighs 1 kilogram and 300 grams. Neuhaus, who gladly held the Torch in front of an audience from all over the Americas, stated that a historic day was coming for Peruvian and Mexican cultures.
“We will light the Pan American Torch and bring together two ancestral cultures of the Americas. In Lima, we will welcome you with arms wide open, we will try to make every athlete feel at home and make it possible for them to meet athletes from all of the Americas. It's been an intense 2 years and 10 months, but we are keeping our State commitment. Now, some will have to wait and others will have to continue working very hard in the days we have left,” said Neuhaus.
In this regard, Ilic praised the work of the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee. Their years of hard work have finally resulted in this Pan American flame, which will finally shine for the entire continent.
“Tomorrow we start on a path of no return toward one of the most important projects of my life in sport management. Carlos Neuhaus and I took responsibility for Lima 2019 about 2 years ago. He and his team were very confident that this could move forward and, as I've always said, we were not wrong at all, because what Peru is providing today is a top-rank, high-quality and carefully prepared event. That's what we are looking for in the Pan American Games”.
Peru’s ambassador in Mexico thanked the Americas for entrusting Peru with organizing and hosting this important multi-sports event, which makes Peru the Americas' home of sports for a couple of months.
“The 2019 Pan American Games will portray Lima as a world-class host city and a cultural, tourist and investment destination, but most of all as a brotherly nation to all peoples of the Pan American region. Receiving the Pan American Flame from Mexico is truly satisfying, since this act brings together two cultures with a parallel history and present. We believe that welcoming these young athletes that represent the future of our region, and enabling them to meet each other, is a great social legacy.”
