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Lima 2019 inaugurates first sporting venue

The organising committee for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima has inaugurated the first new sporting venue for the event, the baseball stadium in the Villa Maria del Triunfo district of the Peruvian capital.

The Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11 and will welcome around 6,700 athletes from 41 countries, who will compete in 39 sports and 62 disciplines.

The new baseball stadium features a World Baseball Softball Confederation-approved field, changing rooms and seats for 1,800 spectators. Peru’s national baseball team held a training session at the venue to inaugurate the facility.

Lima 2019 president Carlos Neuhaus said: “This brand new, world-class venue is evidence that Peru is ready to deliver on the global stage.

“The Games will feature 23 qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 and more than 900 hours of live coverage, so expect the Lima 2019 to be one of the most thrilling Pan American Games in recent history. That is why we are committed to investing in the best facilities and conditions so that top athletes from the Americas can fulfil their potential in July this year.”

After the Games, the venue will be opened up to locals to practice new sports.

As well as the newly-opened baseball venue, the Villa Maria del Triunfo venue cluster will host softball, water polo, rugby, field hockey and archery during the Games, along with five-a-side and seven-a-side football during the Parapan American Games, which take place following the Pan American Games from August 23 to September 1.

Image: Lima 2019