Lima 2019: 10 things you should know

On 23 August 2019, the Americas' best Para athletes will meet in Lima, Peru for the sixth Parapan American Games. So with exactly two years to go here are the 10 things you need to know about the Games, which will run until 1 September.

1. With a record 1,850 athletes competing across 17 sports, it is expected to become the biggest Parapans ever.

2. The Lima 2019 logo shows three athletes raising their hands to celebrate on the Flower of Amancaes, native of Peru, symbolising their determination, courage and joy of competing, and the union amongst them all on the Parapan American podium.

3. Badminton, shooting and taekwondo will make their Parapan American debut in Lima, while archery has been removed from the sports programme.

4. Athletics, boccia, cycling, football 5-a-side, football 7-a-side, goalball, judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis will make up the programme.

5. Milco was announced as the official mascot following a record-breaking popular vote, with up to 44,514 people participating. The winning-design, made by Andrea Medrano, is based on a ‘cuchimilco,’ a ceramic sculpture made by the Chancay culture, a pre-Columbian civilization from the region. Milco received 19,895 votes, followed by Wayqi, the gecko, (17,274) and Amantis, which was inspired by the Flower of Amancaes (7,345).

6. Para athletes Pilar Jauregui, Maria de Jesus Trujillo, Pedro de Vinatea and Efrain Sotacuro were announced as ambassadors for the Parapan American Games.

7. Peruvian capital city of Lima is only 80 minutes away by plane from the region of Cusco, where the 15th century’s famous Inca city of Machu Picchu is located.

8. The first edition of the Parapan Ams took place in Mexico City in 1999, followed by Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 2003.

9. In 2007, the Parapans were staged in the same city as the Pan American Games for the first time ever, with Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the host. Guadalajara, Mexico, welcomed the second integrated Parapan Ams in 2011.

10. Toronto, Canada, staged in 2015 the biggest Games so far with 1,600 athletes from 28 countries competing in 15 sports.

More information is available on Lima 2019’s website.