Lima 2019

Games Summary

Lima, the capital of and most populous city in Peru, hosted the XVIII Pan American Games in 2019.

Approximately 6700 athletes represented the 41 competing countries from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The Opening Ceremony took place on July 26, with 16 days of competition before the Closing Ceremony on August 11.

FAQ: What are the Pan American Games?

The 2019 Pan Am Games featured 39 sports and 62 disciplines, with a total of 424 events, far more than on the summer Olympic program. In addition to all the core Olympic sports, there are some sports which are included at the Pan Am Games but not the Olympic Games, such as bowling, racquetball, squash and water skiing.

Read: 2020 Olympic Qualification at Lima 2019 

Lima was awarded the 2019 Pan Am Games on October 11, 2013, defeating three other bids (La Punta, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela) in the first round of voting. Lima had previously bid to host the 2015 Pan Am Games but lost the vote to Toronto.

The mascot for Lima 2019 is Milco, he was inspired by traditional Cuchimilco sculptures, which were said to have been created to ward off bad energies. His outstretched arms are intended to welcome all participants to Lima.

Getting to know Lima and Peru

Peru is located in western South America and has 2414 km of coastline on the Pacific Ocean. It shares land borders with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Lima is found in the coastal region.

About one-third of all Peruvians live in Lima, which has a population of approximately 10.4 million. The country’s official language is Spanish and it is in the same time zone as Eastern Standard Time.

Lima was founded in 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and named “The City of the Kings”. Peru gained its independence from Spain on July 28, 1821, so it will celebrate 198 years as an independent country during the 2019 Pan Am Games.

The national symbol of Peru is the vicuna, a camelid related to the llama. It is featured in the Peruvian coat of arms, which appears on the national flag of three equal vertical bands of red, white and red, the national colours.