ELECTIONS BEGIN FOR PANAM SPORTS ATHLETE COMMISSION

LIMA, PERU (July 28, 2019) — Voting for the next athlete representatives of Americas Olympic Movement is now open as the Lima 2019 Pan American Games have officially begun.

Thirteen candidates are running for five open spots on the Panam Sports Athlete Commission. Every athlete who is competing at Lima 2019 can cast their vote at any point during the Games using the tablets provided at every Athlete Village.

The 13 Candidates for the Panam Sports Athlete Commission are:

Ana Maria Rendon Martinez (Colombia – Archery)

Julian Fletcher (Bermuda – Swimming)

Isabel Swan (Brazil – Sailing)

Paola Longoria (Mexico – Racquetball)

Ruben Limardo (Venezuela – Fencing)

Walter Perez (Argentina – Cycling)

Melissa Humana-Paredes (Canada – Beach Volleyball)

Thomas Flossbach (Guatemala – Archery)

Esteban Bustos (Chile – Modern Pentathlon)

Amber Joseph (Barbados – Cycling)

Tony Azevedo (USA – Water Polo)

Christopher Binnie (Jamaica – Squash)

Diego Castillo (Panama – Swimming)

Athletes can vote for their preferred candidates on tablets located at the Panam Sports Athlete hub in the Dining Hall of the Pan American Village. Ballots will be cast using the exact same system used at the Olympic Games that is powered by Atos, the Official IT Provider of Panam Sports.

The Panam Sports booth also features an interactive photo wall where athletes can take selfies and post their photos to the wall that will create a collage featuring many of the incredible athletes competing at Lima 2019.

The Panam Sports hub is right next to the Athlete 365 installation organized by the International Olympic Committee, where athletes can find all the information they need to know about the Panam Sports Athlete Commission as well as other valuable and important resources.

Voting tablets can also be found in all of the regional and satellite Athlete Villages of Lima 2019, ensuring every athlete has a chance to vote for their representatives on the Athlete Commission.

Those who are elected will join current Athlete Commission members Carlos Santiago (PUR), Adriana Escobar (ESA) and Aliann Pompey (GUY) who will continue to serve until the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

Once the votes are cast during the Games, the announcement of the five new members will take place on August 11, before the Closing Ceremony of Lima 2019. Panam Sports will ensure those elected provide a gender, sport and regional balance to the Athlete Commission.

"On behalf of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission, we are very excited to launch elections during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. We have an incredibly strong group of diverse candidates vying for five open positions that will bring a fresh outlook and renewed energy to our mission. As the voice of athletes within the Pan American Sports Organization, we continue to find new ways to integrate athletes into the decisions that matter the most. We wish all the candidates the best of luck and would also like to thank our exiting members that have dedicated their time and efforts to improving athlete representation across the region over the past eight years," said Panam Sports Athlete Commission President, Alexandra Orlando.

Panam Sports deeply thanks the Athlete Commission members who will be leaving the commission in July, including current President Alexandra Orlando (CAN), Andrea Estrada (GUA), Thiago Pereira (BRA), Mijain Lopez (CUB) and Guillermo Perez (MEX).

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