On July 26, the 2019 Pan American Games of Lima began with a number of 6.680 athletes from 41 countries, with participants from all over America. Three weeks ago the Olympic flame was lit in Machu Picchu, to reach Lima and start the games.
An Inca priest and a «chasqui» lit the torch of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima in the citadel of Machu Picchu in a ceremony that began the tour of the flame through Peru.
«The Pan American Flame that came from Teotihuacán, Mexico, has come here joining two cultures and ancient civilizations; what is a way to represent the Lima 2019 Games: the union of the peoples through sport,» said the Peruvian president, Martín Vizcarra, who received in front of the famous hill Huayna Picchu a torch lit by the «chasqui».
The sporting event will be held from July 26 to August 11, with competitions in 39 sports that include 61 disciplines, of which 22 are qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.