In addition to being president of the Pan American Association, ALAS and vice president of the ISA, Karín Sierralta is an advisor for Legado, the Lima 2019 institution that ensures that venues do not become abandoned stadiums but rather, through their use, live to generate a better present and future through sport.

Yesterday, when Panam Sports President Neven Ilic showed the envelope that said “Lima” in capital letters during the live broadcast of a vote that had all kinds of back and forth but that resulted in the majority in favor of the Peruvian capital with 28 out of 52 votes, surfer Sierralta was hugging his teammates because the announcement was nothing but good news for that team.

Ilic himself said that this legacy was one of the reasons why he liked the fact that the Olympic committees of the Americas voted mostly for Lima.

As for surfing, Sierralta says it is plausible to think that there will be more places and that one of the first requests will be for bodyboarding.

Therefore, we will have to wait, but bodyboarding could be added to shortboard, longboard, SUP surfing and SUP racing as a Pan American discipline.

Below is a brief interview with the authority.

What can we expect for Lima 2027?
Let surfing shine again. We are already used to seeing it as a spectacle; in Santiago it was truly a show of giant waves and the great technical level of our athletes. Punta Rocas is not far behind, in 2019 it also showed triple overhead waves and we hope that beyond the waves and the show, the surfers who have evolved so much in the Americas will show us why all this has been done.

The inclusion of more events. We are working with PASA to include bodyboarding and why not some additional events, probably the increase in quotas; we are going to try to increase them and perhaps, why not talk about the use of more technology in judging, the latter by the hand of the ISA. Something we are already working on for a better future in the technical part.

Why is it the best option for surfing?
It is definitely the best option for surfing because we are talking about the high-performance surfing center, the largest in the world, with almost two hectares of construction and three of land.

We already have a tower for judges, a VIP area, an entertainment area, a surfing area; we have stands that could comfortably seat 2019 people at Lima 1200.

We have one of the most consistent tips in the world, Punta Rocas, which is at least shoulder-length and can be set triple overhead.

We have excellent weather, we are not affected by the tides, we do not have problems with marine animals, we do not have problems with winds, we do not have any pollution problems, so I think that all the variables come together to make a high-level event.

How was it celebrated in Legacy?
I have the honor and pride of continuing to work on the special project Legado, an entity in charge of managing the sports venues built for Lima 2019. I am part of a team that worked for the Pan American Games and that today, with that experience, manages the sustainability and maintenance of the venues in an excellent manner.

We have won the 2027 venue probably due to the great maintenance and sustainability of the sports venues that today, five years before the Pan American Games, are in the same or better condition thanks to the staff, the companies that do the maintenance, the executive committee and the Peruvian state entities that have given priority to these sports venues, which includes the Punta Rocas CAR.

It is a source of pride for Peru to have this infrastructure. Obviously we are ready, we could host the games in a year if we wanted to. The only thing we have to modify a little is the Pan American Village, but even so, with the large number of rooms we have, plus 170.000 rooms in hotels in Lima, we could host the Pan American Games without those towers.

Legado has taken it as a celebration, as a recognition, there are people who are very passionate and committed to sport and infrastructure in the country.

How do you live it?
I see it as another achievement, I see it as recognition of the work of many people. To that great group led by Carlos Neuhaus in the organization of the Pan American Games, to that great Peruvian fan base that is considered the best in the world, super passionate.

Peru has not had great sporting results and the Pan American Games have given it the chance to dream of medals, to see many sports win gold medals. Obviously surfing is one of the main sports, one of the sports with the most titles and medals, but I personally think it is a recognition of the country, of the good hosts that the Peruvians are, of how they have treated the people from Panam Sports and the visitors, how we have become accustomed to it… Not because it is an event, we Peruvians are like that, great hosts and this is a recognition of all that, of the infrastructure, the affection of the Peruvians, the professionalism of the people who are dedicated to public management in the sports field, of the athletes who have trained with passion and of all the press that also covers and has covered everything objectively, highlighting the most important thing, which is sport and the Olympic values.