(ATR) Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and leaders of PanamSports celebrate the beginning of construction at the Lima 2019 Pan American Village with a traditional Peruvian ceremony.
Two "shicra" stones were buried by President Kuczynski and PanamSports president Neven Ilic in the location where the Pan Am Games cauldron will be located in less than two years, symbolizing an ancient Peruvian tradition.
Shicras are stones used to protect homes from seismic activity, first used over 4,000 years ago by the ancient Norte Chico culture in Caral, Peru, according to a release by PanamSports. The region is prone to minor and sometimes major earthquakes due to its proximity to the Andes Mountains.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Lima had a minor earthquake at 3 a.m. ahead of the start of the second day of the IOC Session in Lima, jesting about it disrupting the sleep of the Olympic leaders gathered in Peru.
The Pan American Village will house 1,092 apartments in seven towers and is expected to be completed by February 2019, five months before athletes arrive in Lima. South American construction firm Besco-Besalco won the competitive tender on Sept. 4 with a budget of $114 million to complete the turnkey project.
"Lima 2019 will cement this city's place as a hub for culture, tourism and world-class sport," said President Kuczynski. "Most importantly, these Games will provide fresh opportunities for a new generation of Peruvians to live healthier, more active lifestyles."
PanamSports chief Ilic said he is thrilled that construction on the project is finally underway after doubts about its completion started to surface.
"The Athletes’ Village is a key part of the Lima 2019 project and we are delighted to see it is underway," Ilic said in a statement. "There is no time to lose, but through strong collaboration and hard work we have full confidence Lima 2019 will deliver an outstanding facility for the athletes of the Americas."
The Village will be given to the Ministry of Housing after the conclusion of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games on Sept. 1. The ministry will convert it into affordable housing and a legacy landmark for Lima 2019.
Click here for photos from the ceremony.
Click here to read more exclusive content in our special edition magazine for Lima!
Written by Kevin Nutley
Forgeneral comments or questions, click here.
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about theOlympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribersonly.
Recent Articles
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
