6 Interesting Facts about the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games

After four years of waiting and a lot of preparation, training, and discipline from thousands of athletes and para-athletes from the Americas, the 2019 Pan American Games , held in Lima, Peru, have finally arrived.

With an emotional opening ceremony themed on integration, tolerance, and friendship , the Parapan American Games began immediately after the Pan American Games and will run until September 1.

This competition will be the gateway for many athletes qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games .

Below, we'll share some interesting facts about this important international event, which has turned Lima upside down and will have a lasting impact on its infrastructure.

Lima has broken a record for hosting the largest Parapan American Games in history. It also became a pioneer in accessibility.

The Lima 2019 Parapan American Games will be the Games with the largest attendance in history. A total of 1,890 athletes from 33 delegations will participate . This represents 300 more competitors and five more delegations than at Toronto 2015.

Lima has made a significant investment in infrastructure to host the Pan American Games and, through its sports and urban spaces, to integrate all the para-athletes participating in this event, who have all types of disabilities—motor, sensory, intellectual, and/or multiple—into their spaces.

The Parapan American Games officially began in 1999.

It's not a well-known fact, but the Parapan American Games began officially being held in the late 1990s as a way to celebrate inclusion through sports. At that time, there were only four adapted sports : wheelchair basketball, track and field, para swimming, and table tennis.

Did you know that more adaptive sports have been incorporated into this year's Parapan American Games?

A total of 17 disciplines will participate in this tournament , two more than in the Canadian edition and one more that will replace another sport. Furthermore, they will be divided into categories based on the athletes' disabilities.

Lima 2019 will debut three new adapted disciplines : Para Taekwondo, Para Badminton, and Para Shooting, which will replace archery, which was present at Toronto 2015.

Have you ever wondered what the categories are like in which athletes are divided according to their disciplines? 

1. Wheelchair basketball

For athletes with paraplegia, lower limb amputation, cerebral palsy, or polio.

2. Boccia

It is divided into three categories: BC1, BC2 and BC3 and is a sport for athletes with cerebral palsy, capable of using their limbs to propel the ball, or in the case of BC2 and BC3, for athletes with paralysis in all four limbs or without them who will be assisted in performing each movement through a tutor.

3. 5-a-side football

It's an adapted sport for people with visual impairments. The only one with vision is the goalkeeper; the rest will wear masks throughout the match.

4. 7-a-side football

It is a modality adapted for people with cerebral palsy, where offside is not a rule and throwing the ball in from the line or rolling the ball back into the field of play is permitted.

5. Goalball

It's adapted for athletes with visual impairments. Everyone must wear a mask to play on equal terms.

6. Judo

Athletes competing in this adapted sport have visual impairments, and the only difference from conventional sports is the contact made with the opponent before the fight begins.

7. For athletics

It is a qualifying sport for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and includes various disciplines and events, divided into running, jumping, and throwing. It has a broad classification and allows participation by athletes with various disabilities and/or prosthetics.

8. For badminton

This sport has been adapted for people with physical disabilities, with or without prosthetics, and wheelchair users. Only half of the court is used.

9. For track and road cycling

It is divided into C1 and C2, and is adapted for people with a condition such as cerebral palsy or an amputated limb. C1 cyclists have a more severe limitation.

10. For swimming

It is adapted for swimmers with physical, visual, or intellectual disabilities. None of the swimming classifications include prosthetics.

11. For powerlifting

This sport is classified as a sport for athletes, both men and women of short stature, those with amputations, or limited leg strength or flexibility.

12. For taekwondo

This discipline is practiced by people with physical disabilities in the upper extremities.

13. For table tennis

In adapted table tennis, para-athletes are grouped into eleven classes according to their degree and type of disability.

14. Wheelchair rugby

The game methodology is very similar to adapted basketball, as is the classification of athletes.

15. Wheelchair tennis

As it is a high-precision sport, the rules of regular tennis are maintained. However, a second bounce is allowed, which can be on or off the court, as well as an assistant for serving.

16. For shooting (Rifle and pistol)

In this event, you can use either a rifle or a pistol, and you can compete in a variety of positions, including standing, lying down, or using a wheelchair.

17. Sitting volleyball

Its rules are almost identical to those of regular volleyball, but it's divided into two categories: MD for athletes with a minor disability, and D for those with a more severe disability. Each team is allowed only one MD player on the court.

Did you know that the music during the Parapan American Games sporting events and the athlete awards are also adapted?

The music includes a wealth of bass and low-pitched sounds so that para-athletes with hearing impairments can also feel the vibration of the music and experience the excitement of each competition on equal terms. Additionally, the medals have sounds and reliefs for athletes with visual impairments .

The Olympic Village, where the athletes are housed, has been fully adapted to meet all needs, regardless of disability.

With a total of 336 fully adapted apartments , the complex for athletes has seven buildings of 20 floors each and eight apartments per level.

They have lower windows so everyone can see out, open, and close them. They have sinks without the middle leg, so wheelchairs can easily enter.

In addition, the beds are taller than usual to make it easier to transfer from a chair. Even attention to details like the shape of the faucets has been taken into account . They are not round or handle-like, but rather levers, making them easier to operate.

On the other hand, and no less important, the signage is clearly marked and includes Braille for easier understanding. Furthermore, since Lima is in a seismic zone , each floor has an evacuation system with an escape zone. 

Brenda Osnaya is a Paralympic athlete who had to rebuild her athletic career when a brutal car accident derailed her budding future. Want to know her story? Click here.

Lima, a model city in accessibility?

While there is still a long way to go to achieve full adaptability, Lima has made a significant investment to improve accessibility for the nearly 2,000 athletes who have participated in the Parapan American Games. This will be a lasting infrastructure that will benefit a large portion of the population with disabilities.

The reality is that there are still areas that need to be improved for the daily lives of Lima residents , tourists, and the entire population of Peru, such as issues related to buildings, public transportation, access, ramps, and labor rights.

Given the significant initiative this Latin American country has undertaken to promote sports integration on such a large scale and with such a significant investment in infrastructure, we at Theramart celebrate inclusion and equal opportunities for all people around the world.