Softball a Surprise in Peru

(ATR) The Pan American Games is proving popular among Peruvians, including some sports that are not well known in the host country.

Through Sunday, a total of 367,374 tickets have been sold for Lima 2019. A day before, that figure was at about 250,000. The early success of Peru’s team and the first of a two-day national holiday on Sunday likely helped the jump in sales.

In addition, Lima 2019 spokesperson Carlos Manuel Lazarte says there has been a surprising interest among the locals for sports that are not popular in Peru. He mentioned gymnastics, diving and softball among them.

Lazarte told reporters at the Monday press briefing that he attended the men’s softball game between Peru and Venezuela on Sunday and there was "not a seat available".

He said that the federation in charge of softball "could not believe we could fill this stadium" and was very pleased with the "positive atmosphere".

Lazarte again implored the press to spread the word that there are tickets still available for semifinals and finals in some sports and also for the closing ceremony.

There are still issues with the transportation system for the media. Most of the problems appear to be a lack of buses available for getting reporters back from the venues after the final matches or sessions at night.

Lazarte apologized for the inconvenience, adding "we’re doing our best and seeing some improvement" while reiterating that fixing the problem was a priority.

Through Sunday, 1179 accredited journalists were in Lima covering the Pan American Games.

Written and reported by Gerard Farek in Lima

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