Lima 2019 introduces its official ambassadors

Para athletes Pilar Jauregui, Maria de Jesus Trujillo, Pedro de Vinatea and Efrain Sotacuro have been announced as ambassadors for the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games at a ceremony held in the Peruvian capital city on Monday (22 May).

Lima 2019 President Carlos Neuhaus, Paralympic Association of Peru Secretary General Luis Lastarria, and Olympic Athletes Association of Peru President Rosario Choco attended the event.

All four athletes, who will promote the sixth edition of the Parapan Ams across the continent at different competitions and events, were chosen for their recent sporting success.

Track athlete Sotacuro finished fourth in the men’s marathon T46 at Rio 2016, de Vinatea is a three-time Para badminton Pan American champion, swimmer Trujillo won silver at the Sao Paulo 2017 Youth Parapans and Jauregui led the women’s wheelchair basketball team into the Americas Cup.

“It is with great satisfaction that we announce these four athletes as ambassadors for Lima 2019,” said Neuhaus. “They represent the effort all athletes make and will support us in the lead-up to the Parapan American Games.”

Jauregui added: “I am happy to be an ambassador. Peru organised a wheelchair basketball event recently and proved it is capable of hosting Para sport competitions. I am planning to participate in Para badminton at Lima 2019 and seeking to win a medal for my country.”

Trujillo said: “I made a big effort to win silver at the Youth Parapans this year, my first international competition ever. I will now go for more and prepare for that.”

“I am happy to be an ambassador. It increases my commitment to the Games,” said de Vinatea. “I have to win on home soil in 2019.”

Sotacuro said: “It was thanks to Para sports that I could move forward after the accident in which I lost both my hands. I will represent my country with great pride at Lima 2019 and hopefully win more medals.”

The Lima 2019 Parapan American Games will take place from 23 August-1 September, with a record 1,850 athletes competing in 17 sports, two more than at Toronto 2015.

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

Mexico D.F. in 1999, Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007, and Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2011, staged the four previous editions of the Parapan American Games.

Full story can be found on Lima 2019’s website (in Spanish).