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The city of Puno, bathed by Titicaca Lake and known as the Capital of the Peruvian Folklore, participated in the special event of the Pan American Torch arrival, which is touring 26 cities around Peru.
A total of 53 people participated in the tour around the lakeside city. Among the Pan American Torchbearers, 73-year-old Ovidio Velasco stood out. He did not hesitate to don the uniform worn by Lima 2019 Pan American torchbearers, and ran with the burning Torch.
"This is an honor for me and my fellow countrymen from Puno. To the athletes, I urge them to be courageous and make a huge effort in these games,” said an excited Ovidio before joining the celebrations. The event ended at the Enrique Torres Belón Stadium in Puno, where the Pan American cauldron was symbolically lit up. Mariana Quintanilla, athlete born in this region, also participated in this tour; she will participate in the shooting competitions at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The Pan American Torch also travelled in traditional boats to the islands located in the middle of Titicaca Lake.
Before arriving in Puno, the Pan American Torch travelled to the city of Juliaca, where citizens packed eight blocks of Jirón Mariano Núñez. In Puno, dozens of people cheered and joined the Pan American torchbearers. Between Juliaca and Puno, over 11 kilometers were covered in total.
The first torchbearer in Juliaca was Francisco Barquez, a 65-year-old firefighter who was thrilled to accomplish what he called “a dream come true”. The Pan American Torch was passed down from torchbearer to torchbearer until its arrival at San Isidro Stadium, where Julio Surco, Parapan American athlete, took over and carried it to the Pan American cauldron.
ABOUT LIMA 2019
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.
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 the Olympic Games.
The Parapan American Games will gather 1890 Para athletes from 33 countries, participating in 17 sports and 18 disciplines. The competitions will take place between August 23 and September 1, 2019. Thirteen sports will be qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
