Cayman’s athletes in Peru for Pan Am Games
(CNS Local Life): Ahead of the official opening ceremony taking place Friday, 26 July, Cayman was welcomed to the 18th Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, along with teams from the Bahamas, Brazil, Bolivia and St Lucia. Not all of Cayman’s representatives were on hand to be greeted as they arrived at the Pan American Athletes Village, but the rest of the contingent, which comprises six athletes, is on their way to Lima.
The Games will feature 6,700 athletes competing in 39 sports and 61 disciplines, running through 11 August. Lima is hosting the Games for the first time. The competition, which is held every four years, will include 22 qualifying events for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
At the informal greeting, Cayman’s representatives and the other delegations watched their flags being raised and sang their national anthems. The festivities also included performances of traditional Peruvian dances.
In Lima for the ceremony were Carson Ebanks, Cayman Islands Olympic Committee (CIOC) secretary-general, along with daughter Jessica, who is attending as a spectator; Eilidh Bridgeman, Cayman’s chef de missions, who has just come off gold medal-winning efforts in squash at the NatWest Island Games in Gibraltar; Angel Rutty, gymnastics manager; gymnast Raegan Rutty; and her coach, Edward Umphrey.
Sprinter Kemar Hyman was due to arrive Thursday, 25 July and sailor Jesse Jackson, the following day, with their competitions starting the first week in August. Swimmers Brett Fraser, Lauren Hew and John Bodden are expected to arrive at the end of the month so will miss the official opening of the Games; Hew and Bodden are competing at the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju, South Korea and the swimming events in Lima not scheduled to start until 6 August.
Rounding out Cayman’s coaches and managers in Lima are swimming coach and manager, Bailey Weathers and Susan Weathers; athletics coach Kenrick Williams; and sailing coach Raphael Harvey.
Category: Sports
