THE LAST LIMA 2019 ORGANIZING COORDINATION COMMITTEE CONCLUDES

On the last day of the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games Organizing Coordination Committee, Xavier González, CEO of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), presented a summary report on the conclusions drawn from the two days packed with intense and useful meetings between the IPC, the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC), the National Paralympic Association of Peru and Lima 2019. 

Coordination Committees are meetings where the main organizations in charge of encouraging the development of Paralympic sport worldwide supervise and share their improvement suggestions for the successful delivery of the Parapan American Games. 

During this meeting, González celebrated the progress made in recent months in a brief presentation. He also specified which areas require attention from the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee. 

“In general, we have seen progress, and we are here to continue helping. The progress has been very positive. However, the danger of accessibility lies in the details, and we are already entering that phase. We must not lower our guard,” he said. 

In this regard, the president of COPAL, Carlos Neuhaus, highlighted the consistent progress that has been seen throughout these eight coordination meetings and assured that the hard work will continue. 

“When we first started, the list was very long and there were many concerns. Now we know that we will get it down, and in the best way possible,” he said. 

The eighth Coordination Committee will be followed by three days of meetings and exchanges between Lima 2019 and the chefs de mission of the different National Paralympic Committees (NPC) that will participate in the Games. González encouraged Lima 2019 to continue sharing information and accepting recommendations. 

“You must create a connection with them, because the Games belong to the people and we must create trusting relationships between us and the different countries that will bring their athletes to the Games as well.” 

At the same time, the president of the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC), Julie O'Neill, was pleased with the progress made and highlighted the importance of establishing close relationships with the chefs de mission. 

“I think these days have been very productive in terms of identifying which areas are doing well and which ones need to be strengthened. The chefs de mission’s visit is a great opportunity to interact and receive very valuable feedback.”

Lucha Villar, president of the National Paralympic Association of Peru and an important local figure, was pleased with the progress and stressed the importance of the Games as catalysts for improvements that our society needs in terms of accessibility.  

“What’s important is that, after eight meetings, we made it to the finish line. As the National Paralympic Committee, we are very honored to be a part of this process, and to be able to use the Games to raise awareness about people with impairments.” 

IPC and APC 

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the international governing body of the Paralympic movement. The committee’s objective is to organize the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and to act as the International Federation of nine sports, in order to supervise and coordinate World Championships and other competitions. 
The Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) was established in August 1997 with the aim of creating a Para sport governing body for the Americas. 

Since 2007, the Parapan American Games are held in the same city as the Pan American Games. 

In Peru 

The National Paralympic Association of Peru (ANPPERU) is the governing body of the Paralympic sports movement in Peru. Since 2016, it promotes individual and group Para sports participation. The association also works to transform society by popularizing Para sports, as part of the legacy the Sixth Parapan American Games Lima 2019 will leave behind.