Villa María del Triunfo, October 7. Dozens of students from Manuel Scorza and Soberana Orden de Malta schools brought a special energy to the hockey stadium, where they went to watch the National Field Hockey Championship, the same facilities where the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games took place.

The students, with their parents and other family members, watched the competition in which nine teams competed, five in the men’s category and four in women’s category.

The president of the Peruvian Hockey Federation, Gianni Delucchi, thanked the presence of the schoolchildren and encouraged them to, in the upcoming weeks, join the academy that the federation is planning to open for the communities of Villa María del Triunfo and Villa El Salvador.

Milco, the official mascot of Lima 2019, paid a visit to the 11 to 12-year-old students and shared a nice time with them and their families. They were able to enjoy delicious dairy products provided by the Games’ sponsors.

These schools were invited as part of the “Soy Lima 2019” campaign, an initiative that included 31 schools and that, in the first stage, were visited by Lima 2019 authorities, athletes and Para athletes qualified to the Games, who fostered Olympic and Paralympic values through activations and socio-cultural activities.

Villa María del Triunfo spectators were excited by the goals scored, the colorful uniforms and the 150 athletes in action, who relived the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games held between late July and early September. The National Field Hockey Senior Championship was held last weekend.

Dozens of fans attended to witness the competition organized by the Peruvian Hockey Federation, which allowed nine teams to compete at the facilities built for Lima 2019.

A total of eleven goals were scored during the four matches played. In the women’s tournament, the 2018 champion San Silvestre Sport defeated 2-0 Mater Admirábilis, while OMA defeated 2-1 Lima Cricket. Gretell Mejía (San Silvestre), member of the national team, participated at the Pan American Games and was the first hockey player to score an official goal in this pitch.

In the men’s tournament, Santa María Sport beat 3-0 Lions, while OMA defeated 2-1 Lima Cricket. Libardoni stayed on the bench.

Lima Cricket. Libardoni stayed on the bench.

“We’re proud to be back at this venue and start this National Championship. This is something we’ve dreamed of for many years since 2006, when we won a medal at the South American Games. We now have these pitches thanks to Lima 2019. Next year we’ll have the Panam Challenge and the South American Championship between June and July,” said the President of the Federation Gianni Delucchi.

This hockey tournament will take place every Sunday until December 1, when the men’s final will be played.

The Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center hosted seven sports during the Pan American Games: hockey, rugby, water polo, softball, baseball, Basque pelota and Peruvian frontón, as well as archery. Football 5-a-side and football 7-a-side also took place at this venue during the Parapan American Games.

The Lima 2019 Games were held between July 26 with the Pan American Games Opening Ceremony and September 1 with the Parapan American Games Closing Ceremony.

Sports do not stop. Thanks to the Pan American and Parapan American Games, sports activities have witnessed a re-birth, even more so with the first-level facilities now available. This is why competitions will start at the venues that hosted the successful Lima 2019 Games.

This Sunday, a historic day will take place at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, where an official competition will be held for the first time after the Lima 2019 Games. It will also be the opening of the National Field Hockey Championship, which will gather nine Peruvian clubs in an unprecedented event.

Competition will take place in the two fields built at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, which will reopen its doors for this event. Spectators will be able to enjoy the matches and discover the great infrastructure built for Lima 2019. 

It will be an unprecedented event for this sport, as this is the first hockey competition to be held in Peru; this is a clear example of the sports legacy left by Lima 2019, which included 39 sports and 61 disciplines in the first Pan American Games ever held in Peru.

The national tournament will gather four women’s and five men’s teams. The women's teams will be: San Silvestre Sport, Colegio Mater Admirábilis, OMA and Lima Cricket. The men’s teams will be: OMA, Lions, Libardoni, Lima Cricket and Santa María Sport.

This Sunday's matches will start at 09:00 in the main field of the Hockey Stadium at Villa María del Triunfo, with the match between San Silvestre Sport vs. Mater Admirábilis (women’s). It will be followed by the match between OMA vs. Lima Cricket (men’s) and Lima Cricket vs. OMA (women’s). In Pitch 2, the match between Santa María Sport vs. Lions (men’s) will start at 12:00.

One of the most impressive venues that hosted the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games in Peru, and which will remain as legacy for Peruvian sports, is the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center located in this Southern Lima district.

This venue received today the special visit of children from PRONOEI “Semillitas del Saber”, located in José Gálvez, Villa María del Triunfo. They arrived in the hope of developing their project “Learning more about the places and materials used in different sports championships,” and toured each of the Pan American and Parapan American Games’ stages.

The children, led by their teacher Carmen Cruz Valqui, visited the rugby, hockey, softball and baseball stadiums, as well as the modern Aquatic Center, where water polo competitions were held at the Pan American Games. Each of the children's questions was answered by those in charge of the venue, who joined them in their visit.

“Children were happy, because they were excited about visiting this venue, which is in our district.” The facilities are impressive and our students will now be able to organize their mini Pan American Games. They have already made their weights and various materials for their own competition,” mentioned teacher Carmen Cruz. 

“Many of them are low-income; this is why visiting this venue is a wonderful experience for them. All the sports stages will contribute to the development of this district and the surrounding neighborhoods. At José Gálvez we don't have a sports center like this. We're very happy and thankful after visiting this venue,” she said.

Lima 2019 allowed the construction and remodeling of a modern sports infrastructure, which has remained as a legacy for future national and international competitions, as well as for the preparation of athletes.

Starting tomorrow, Las Palmas Shooting Range in Surco, one of the new venues delivered for Lima 2019 for shooting and Para shooting events, will host the 6th Ibero-American Shotgun Championships in skeet and trap modalities, which will count on the participation of 40 shooters from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil, as well as national representatives.

Giorgio Mautino, Lima 2019 spokesperson, said that this event demonstrates that these venues are fully operational and in the best conditions, as they were during the Pan American and Parapan American Games.

“The days after the Games are as important as the Games themselves. The infrastructure will be required by many countries and that will allow a continuity of events. We are regularizing everything related to the delivery of the venues and we hope that the use will be spectacular.” “The Pan American and Parapan American Games have left a legacy in terms of sports culture, because many people have seen opportunities in many sport disciplines,” said Mautino.

Francisco Boza, Olympic medalist in Los Angeles 1984, also addressed the importance of using the sports infrastructure. “Let it be the beginning of great international events, so that people can take advantage of this Shooting Range, which is one of the best in the world.” He also added that “this venue is complete, as all three weapons can be used. Peru needed this sports infrastructure, we are now reaching international standards.”

For his part, Nicolás Pacheco—Pan American medalist and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics—who will be participating in this international event, mentioned that “for me, this Shooting Range is one of the best in the world and a dream come true. We will be able to hold first-class championships. Also, a venue like this will allow me to improve my record and achieve my dream of claiming an Olympic medal for my country.” 

SCHOOL SPORTS GAMES AT VIDENA

Simultaneously, VIDENA will be stage of the 27th National School Sports Games until September 27, with the participation of 2600 students from 24 regions. One of the first venues to be used was the modern Aquatic Center, one of the best in the continent, where 13-year-old Alexia Sotomayor—who was part of the Peruvian Pan American delegation—showcased her skills after winning three gold medals in the 50 m freestyle, 50 m backstroke and relay events.

At VIDENA, students from all over the country also compete in the new Athletics Stadium, under the same conditions offered to the top athletes and Para athletes who participated at the Pan American and Parapan American Games.

VILLA MARÍA DEL TRIUNFO

Meanwhile, the National Hockey Championship will be inaugurated this Sunday in the two hockey pitches built at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, which will reopen its doors for this competition. Admission will be free.

This will be an unprecedented event, as this is the first time a tournament of this discipline will be held in the country; a clear example of the Lima 2019 legacy. A total of nine teams will participate: four in women’s and five in men’s. The teams in women’s will be: San Silvestre Sport, Colegio Mater Admirábilis, OMA and Lima Cricket. The teams in men’s will be: OMA, Lions, Libardoni, Lima Cricket and Santa María Sport.

Competitions will start this Sunday 22 at 09:00 in the Villa Maria’s main pitch, with the matches between San Silvestre Sport vs. Mater Admirábilis (women’s); OMA vs. Lima Cricket (men’s) and Lima Cricket vs. OMA (women’s). Pitch 2 will host the match between Santa María Sport vs. Lions (men’s) starting at 12:00.

See the photo gallery here

The Lima 2019 Games became the starting point for modernized sports venues, which have made Peru an eligible destination for national and international sports competitions.  

The venues are fully operational and in optimal conditions, as they were at the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games. The fact that five national and international competitions are held this week proves this. 

The 27th Peruvian School Sports Games start today and will run until September 27, with more than 2600 students from 24 regions in competition. Competitions have already started at the modern Aquatic Center in VIDENA, one of the best in the Americas. This is where Alexia Sotomayor, the youngest athlete in the Peruvian delegation at the Pan American Games, showed all her skill to win the gold medals in 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke and relay. 

The students will also compete at the new VIDENA Athletics Stadium in the same competition conditions of those athletes participating in the Pan American and Parapan American Games. 

LAS PALMAS SHOOTING RANGE 

Las Palmas Shooting Range is another Lima 2019 venue holding an international event, built for shooting and Para shooting events. This is where Marko Carrillo and Nicolás Pacheco stepped onto the podium at the Pan American Games, with Jorge Arcela doing so at the Parapan American Games. The 6th Ibero-American Shotgun Championships will take place this week at this venue, in skeet and trap events.  

Official training sessions begin tomorrow and Thursday, and the competitions will be held from Friday 20 to Sunday 22. The event is organized by the FDNTP (Peruvian Shooting Federation). 

The Peruvian team will consist of Alessandro de Souza, Nicolás Pacheco, Asier Cillóniz, Marco Matellini and Flavio Artoni, among the main representatives. Around 40 shooters from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil will participate, as well as the Peruvian team. 

VILLA MARÍA DEL TRIUNFO 

The National Field Hockey Championship will take place this Sunday on the two fields built at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, which will reopen its door for this competition. Admission will be free of charge for all those who want to attend this competition in Southern Lima. 

It will be an unprecedented event, as it is the first edition of this hockey competition, where nine teams (four women’s and five men’s) will compete. San Silvestre Sport, Colegio Mater Admirábilis, OMA and Lima Cricket teams will participate in the women’s events. OMA, Lions, Libardoni, Lima Cricket and Santa María Sport teams will take part in the men’s events. 

Matches between San Silvestre Sport and Mater Admirábilis (women’s); OMA and Lima Cricket (men’s), and Lima Cricket and OMA (women’s) will be played this Sunday 22, starting at 09:00 at the main field of the Villa Maria del Triunfo Sports Center. Santa María Sport will face off Lions (men’s) at field 2, starting at 12:00. 

1. Mexican racquetball player Paola Longoria won her third gold in the Pan American Games, winning the singles and doubles events.
2. Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas took her first gold in the Pan American Games, after winning the triple jump event, even setting a new Pan American record.
3. Colombian cyclist Mariana Pajón got her second gold medal in the Pan American Games, after the one she won at Guadalajara 2011.
4. Argentina’s basketball team clearly won the competition and picked up their second gold medal since Mar del Plata 1995. The team led by Luis Scola amazed the audience at the Eduardo Dibós Coliseum.
5. The Argentina’s hockey teams qualified to Tokyo 2020, showing their talent in each match, at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center. “Las Leonas” got their seventh gold and “Los Leones”, the tenth. Total Supremacy.
6. Brazilian tennis player Hugo Calderano won two gold medals in singles and doubles. The best player in the history of the Americas shone in Lima 2019 with his best talent.
7. Cuban wrestler Mijaín López reached his fifth consecutive Pan American gold at Lima 2019. The athlete who is also five-time world champion and three-time Olympic champion thanked the warmth of the Peruvian people.
8. Argentinian men’s rugby team stopped the two-time Canadian champion’s supremacy in the Pan American Games. Los Pumas swept all their rivals, in an amazing physical game, in Villa Maria del Triunfo.
9. Cuban Boxing shone again in a continental competition with eight gold medals out of 10 possible finals. Seven world champions and three Olympians confirmed that Cuba leads in this sport.
10. Brazilian swimmer Leonardo de Deus became three-time Pan American champion in the 200 m butterfly event, even though he was not on the Brazilian Olympic Committee’s initial list. He came in to replace a teammate who tested positive in the doping control. In addition, he claimed gold in mixed 4x100 medley relay, silver in 4x100 medley relay and bronze in 200 m backstroke.
11. Venezuelan fencer Ruben Limardo was crowned three-time Pan American champion in épée event. He also won bronze in the team event, having a total of eight medals in the Pan American Games.
12. Argentinian swimmer Delfina Pignatiello was crowned as the queen of the waters at Lima 2019, when she claimed three gold medals in the races of 400, 800 and 1500 meters. At the age of 19, she is the child prodigy in swimming throughout South America.
13. The American swimmer Margo Geer took four gold medals, one individual and four in relay events, becoming one of the most successful participants in Lima 2019.
14. Colombian athlete Anthony Zambrano won two gold medals in the 400m and 4x400m events, standing out as one of the new South American stars in athletics for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
15. Mexican diver Kevin Berlin was crowned as the new Latin American star after winning the 10m platform individual and synchronized events.
16. Cuban judoka Idalys Ortíz picked up her third consecutive gold medal in the +78 kg event. She is one of the most successful athletes in Cuba.
17. American wrestler Kyle Snyder became Pan American champion for the second time in the 97 kg event.  At the age of 23, he is also Olympic champion and two-time world champion.
18. Swimmer Marcela Cunha won gold in open water swimming and closed a wonderful year, after two world gold medals in the 5 and 25 km aquatic marathon. With 10 gold medals, she was crowned as the woman with the most titles in the World Aquatic Sports Championships and entered the Hall of Fame, after winning at Lima 2019.
19. Peruvian karateka Alexandra Grande and water skier Natalia Cuglievan went down in the history of Peruvian sport after winning their second consecutive gold medals in the Pan American Games. This fact will remain in history.

The cold could not quiet the unceasing people's support at the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center cheering for the Peruvian hockey team that faced the mighty “Los Leones” from Argentina, the current Pan American champions.

The stands were full. With waves, dancing and celebrations, the stands vibrated during the whole match. Peruvian fans chanted “como no te voy a querer” and “porque yo creo en ti”, while a giant Argentinian waved in the stands.

The match’s highest peak was when Rodrigo Díaz scored the only goal for Peruvians and the fans roared with joy.

“It was really loud, it was the greatest thing ever, and I dedicate it to my parents that have always supported me,” says Rodrigo. He added that “it must be the first time we score against Argentina, and I liked how we did it: working as a team.”

Fans has never stopped supporting the team even if results were not good. “This is the first time we play in Lima, with friends and family, and their support is what encourage us the most, it’s something that feels different,” says the Peruvian hockey player that has scored three of the four goals in the Pan American Games.

Rodrigo thinks that the infrastructure will be key to spread this sport in Peru. “Play in a stadium such as this one, with this kind of infrastructure, is a privilege that we enjoy and makes us really proud. That’s why our duty as athletes is to spread our sport,” he added.  

The Peruvian team still has two matches to play. Peru will go first against the loser from the match between Cuba and USA at 09:30.

She is considered one of the most representative athletes in the history of Argentina. Her name brings memories of the glory days of her country in international hockey competitions, and it is thanks to her that the Argentinian team is currently a top contender. Luciana “Lucha” Aymar, known as the “Maradona of hockey” at her best moment, is in Peru to enjoy the competitions taking place at different venues. 

“Lucha” has been awarded as best player of the world eight times (2001, 2004, 2005, in four successive years between 2007 and 2010, and 2013). In 2008, she was named a Legend of Hockey by the International Hockey Federation. 

The importance of our visitor is so huge that, as captain of Argentina’s hockey team between 2009 and 2014, she was world champion in 2002 and 2010. Furthermore, she participated in four Olympic Games. She won silver medals at Sydney 2000 and London 2012, and bronze medals at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.  

She also won the Champions Trophy, the main hockey tournament in the world, six times: in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014. Her fame increased with the three gold medals she obtained at the Pan American Games (Winnipeg 1999, Santo Domingo 2003, and Rio 2007). 

Taking advantage of her stay in Peru, we talked to “Lucha” Aymar, who was in Villa María del Triunfo to see the match of her former teammates “Las Leonas” of Argentina that defeated Canada 3-0. The Argentinian sport legend was accompanied by her boyfriend, the former Chilean tennis player Fernando González, another important visitor. 

“THE ORGANIZATION IS REALLY GOOD” 

Luciana Aymar highlights the fact that the Pan American Games are being held in Peru and its legacy to Peruvian sports, such as the two hockey fields built in the Villa María del Triunfo venue. 

 “I spent a few days in Peru, and during those three days I could watch different sports. I think it’s good that South America can organize this type of Games and, honestly, Peru did it very well. The stadiums are wonderful, and the organization is really good,” she said. 

She stressed the importance of the legacy that will remain for the future of Peruvian sport. “The hockey field is awesome. I hope they use it a lot. Sports and the Pan American Games allow a country to strengthen a lot of aspects. Of course, they also encourage kids to get a little closer to sports. Also, they leave an amazing infrastructure,” said the athlete. 

 At the end, her former teammates, the “Leonas” of Argentina, defeated Canada by 3-0. “Lucha” went down to the hockey field to congratulate each one of them for their victory. “I hope Argentina can win the gold medal at the Pan American Games because we have a nice team,” told us the Argentinian sport legend.

The fame of the ‘Leonas’, the Argentinian women's hockey team, transcended Peruvian borders and joined the fever for the Pan American Games. Hundreds of people, most of them girls who practice this sport and have the Argentinian team as a role model, enjoyed every move of the “Leonas” on the ‘water court’ of Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center.

Argentina beat Uruguay in the opening match of Group A, formed also by Cuba and Canada. The “Leonas” arrived in Lima to compete for the gold medal won by United States at Toronto 2015. The energy transmitted by their fans, who came from different Argentinian cities, and the Peruvian public who cheered them as if they were from Peru, will encourage the “Leonas” to reach the top of the podium.

“We are really enjoying the Games in Lima and the respect of the Peruvians at the venues and the Pan American Village, which makes us feel at home. And we were very surprised by the affection of Peruvian girls who encouraged us. It is nice to be admired in another country. We will give our best to make you enjoy the Leonas’ performance,” pointed out the captain Rosario Luchetti.

On his part, the Argentinian coach Carlos Retegui said: “We must congratulate the Organizing Committee for the two world-class fields that will serve to promote hockey in Peru. Peruvian athletes are talented, but we have to take hockey to schools to expand the player base and make this sport popular. We need to fill the courts with children after the Pan American Games,” stated Retegui.

In the afternoon, Peru will make its debut against Chile at 16:00 and entire families are already encouraging them with great fanfare at the sports center. If you do not want to miss this match, buy your tickets at lima2019.pe/tickets and in the authorized Teleticket points of sale in Metro and Wong in the following districts: Chorrillos, Independencia, La Molina, Lima, Miraflores, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Miraflores, San Miguel and Surco.  It is worth mentioning that a new point of sale has recently opened at Jockey Plaza shopping center in Surco. There is also another ticket office at the main gate of the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center.