PANAM SPORTS PRESENTS: "EXPERT CONNECTION"

Panam Sports is proud to present a new weekly video series focused on helping athletes, coaches and the entire Pan American family navigate the vast challenges brought on by COVID-19 while remaining prepared to compete on the world stage.

This innovative new series will be shown live on the Panam Sports Channel every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 PM (ET) with a new speaker or panel covering a new topic every week. The first guest will be Dr. Jose Maria Buceta, a renowned Sports Psychologist from Spain with vast experience in Olympic sport who will begin the series on April 16.

MEXICO CITY (April 14, 2020) — Panam Sports is developing a new video series to help athletes and coaches navigate these unprecedented times and the uncertain future shared by everyone, including the Olympic Movement.

Called the "Expert Connection", the weekly video series will bring expert advice right to the homes of athletes throughout the Americas and throughout the world. The series will be shown live on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 PM (ET) on the Panam Sports Channel, with the program designed for English speakers on Tuesdays and Spanish speakers on Thursdays.

Panam Sports has searched for the top professionals in their respective fields ranging from Sports Psychology, Nutrition, Physical Fitness, Health, Mental Preparation, Career Planning, Marketing and many more to provide free, world-class advice to athletes across the globe. The themes of each week have been chosen following conversations with the Panam Sports Athlete Commission and other athletes throughout the region.

How do you maintain a positive outlook during a quarantine? How do you stay focused on your goals? What are good strategies to maintain healthy eating habits? How can you stay in great shape without going to the gym? With the help of these experts, Panam Sports hopes to help athletes and coaches find answers to these difficult questions and many more throughout this new video series.

But these videos won’t be a series of lectures, they will be a series of conversations. Athletes who register to join the show live will be able to ask questions and receive personal advice by using the chat feature available on the Panam Sports Channel. Panam Sports Secretary General Ivar Sisniega will join the conversation and help facilitate the questions from the audience.

Those who are unable to join the conversation live will still be able to submit questions through the registration form available in the link below. Each edition of "Expert Connection" and the advice and answers given will remain on the Panam Sports Channel for on-demand viewing following the conclusion of the live stream.

Click here to register and/or submit your questions now.

The series will begin this Thursday, April 16 with renowned Sports Psychologist Dr. Jose Maria Buceta with the theme "Mental Work, Strategies and Opportunities during COVID-19".

Buceta has a Doctorate in Psychology and is a Professor of Psychology as well as the Director of the Masters Program in Sports Psychology at Spain’s National University of Distance Education (UNED).

His vast experience not only highlights his work as a psychologist, but also as a basketball coach. Jose Maria Buceta was Spain’s Women’s Basketball Coach for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, Psychologist of Spain’s Women's Olympic Hockey team during Atlanta 1996, as well as the Psychologist of the Mexican Olympic team at the Sydney 2000 Games and the international basketball referees at Rio 2016.

He also has experience with professional sports clubs, most importantly serving as Real Madrid’s Sports Psychology Director from 2001-2007. His primary focus was soccer, but he also worked with the team’s basketball club in 2009 and 2010.

As Director of the Master's Degree in Sports Psychology at UNED since 1995, he has trained more than 1,000 professionals from 17 countries in Europe, Africa and, above all, Latin America. He has also served as the Professor of Psychology at the Spanish Football Federation since 1999 and has been a dedicated contributor for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) working with coaches and referees and advising elite athletes.

Panam Sports thanks Dr. Buceta for helping us kickstart this exciting initiative and help athletes as we all adapt to the world’s changing landscape in these challenging times. The organization will continue to communicate who will be featured in the "Expert Connection" series each week through the www.panamsports.org website and our social media accounts.

Athletes and their needs will continue to be the top priorities for Panam Sports, and it is more crucial now than ever that our organization offers new ways to support the athletes who make Americas’ Olympic Movement possible.

ABOUT PANAM SPORTS

The Pan American Sports Organization (Panam Sports) is the leader of sport and the Olympic Movement in the Americas. We propel the development of sport and support our 41 member National Olympic Committees to inspire more participation in international competitions as well as participation of the youth to prepare the generation to come in our region.

Panam Sports works closely with athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOC), Organizing Committees of all regional games, Pan American Sport Confederations, International Federations (IF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure the success and celebration of our main event, the Pan American Games.

For the latest news and updates about Panam Sports, visit our website www.panamsports.org. Follow us on Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube @PanamSports

For more information, please contact:

Alejandro Goycoolea | Communications Director | alejandro@panamsports.org

+56 994 081 884

Kevin Nutley | Communications Manager | knutley@panamsports.org

+1 678 262 6612

Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only