Salvadoran President receives Sao Paulo 2017 delegation

Salvador Sanchez Ceren, President of El Salvador, presented the country’s flag to the delegation that will compete at the fourth Youth Parapan American Games. 10 Mar 2017
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Team El Salvador with the President

Team El Salvador with the President of El Salvador

ⒸEl Salvador National Institute of the Sports
By El Salvador National Institute of the Sports

El Salvador President Salvador Sanchez Ceren presented the national flag to the country’s delegation that will compete at the fourth Youth Parapan American Games, set to take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 20-25 March.

Swimmers Fernando Sanchez and Nahomy del Carmen Guevara, and boccia player Rebecca Dayana Duarte received the flag from Sanchez Ceren on behalf of the entire delegation.

“Receive on behalf of the entire Salvadoran people the best wishes ahead of this Youth Parapan American competition,” said Sanchez Ceren. “Your participation in the Sao Paulo Games is a symbol of unity and hope of our nation.”

Sanchez said: “Our commitment goes beyond representing El Salvador in the competition, but we are ambassadors of the country and this event will give us the chance to share our culture.”

El Salvador National Institute of the Sports (INDES) President, Jorge Perez Quezada, added: “This is a new generation of young Salvadoran Para athletes that are preparing to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. And we share this dream with all of them.”

Around 800 athletes, aged 12-20 years old, from 20 countries are expected to participate in Sao Paulo, with 12 sports being contested: athletics, boccia, football 5, football 7, goalball, judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

Buenos Aires 2013 attracted more than 600 athletes from 16 countries, who competed across 10 sports. Brazil topped the medal table and 15 countries reached the podium at least once.

Barquisimeto, Venezuela, staged the inaugural edition in 2005, with athletes from 10 countries competing, whilst a total of 14 countries attended the event in Bogota, Colombia, in 2009.

More information is available online (in Spanish).