Saturday,
27 July 2019
– The 18th
Pan American Games officially commenced on Friday, 26 July 2019 at
Lima's Estadio Nacional.

With
more than 50,000 people in attendance and 41 participating countries,
Kemar
Hyman, a two-time Olympian and Cayman Islands 100 metre national
record holder, led the Cayman Islands delegation of eight into the
stadium as the country’s flag-bearer.

Under
an overcast sky and slight mist, the
delegation of eight joined the parade of nations into the stadium to
the beat of Peruvian drums, and around the Nevado
Pariacaca, the sacred mountain of Lima. Dressed in ‘island chic’
attire, the men wore light blue linen pants, white shirts, hats and
boat shoes, while the women also supported hats but were in white
dresses and white heeled sandals.

The
delegation
included Raegan
Rutty, Gymnast; Angel Rutty, Gymnastic Manager; Edward Umphrey,
Gymnastic Coach; Jesse Jackson, Sailor; Raphael Harvey, Sailing
Coach; Eilidh Bridgeman, Chef de Mission; and Jade Webster, Press
Attaché.

Athletes
entered the stadium in an order dictated by tradition;
the host of the inaugural Pan American Games Argentina entered first,
the Peruvian delegation entered last representing the host nation.
The remaining countries entered in Spanish alphabetical order. Cayman
Islands, Islas Caimán, was the 24th
country to enter into the arena, directly behind Honduras and in
front of British Virgin Islands, Islas Vírgenes Británicas.

Peru
received the largest cheer from the crowd as their delegation was led
out by an Ekeko,
the Tiwanakan god of abundance and prosperity.

The
spectators
in the sold out stadium were taken back through
Peruvian
history, with ancient
cultures and civilizations evoked through music and dance.
Pre-Hispanic
gods, Peruvian Paso horses and a digital reincarnation of Peruvian
singer Chabuca Granda featured throughout the Ceremony.

Peruvian
Tenor
Juan Diego Florez, wowed the crowd
with
his song 'The Cinnamon Flower'
which brought
actual tears to the eyes of some in the audience.
Latino
megastar Luis Fonsi sent the decibels soaring into the Lima sky.

As
the Opening Ceremony came to an end, 16 days of competition are set
to begin across 39 sports, with near 6,700 athletes expected to
participate.

Raegan
Rutty will start the competition for the Cayman Islands on Saturday,
27 July competing in qualifying round for Artistic Gymnastics.

Laser
Standard Sailor
Jesse Jackson takes on 5 days of sailing, starting on Aug. 3 and
ending on Aug. 9.

John
Bodden begins on Aug. 6 in the 400m free
and 200m butterfly. Bodden will also swim on Aug 10. in the 1500m
freestyle. Lauren Hew and Brett Fraser commence on Aug. 7 in the 200
m freestyle and 100m butterfly, respectively. Hew will then compete
on Aug. 8 in 100m freestyle and Aug. 9 in 50 m freestyle. Fraser will
follow along on Aug. 8 and Aug. 9 in the 100m freestyle and 50 m
freestyle.

Kemar
Hyman begins his 100m
sprint prelims on Aug. 6, if he qualifies to the semifinals Hyman
will race on Aug. 7.

The Cayman Islands have
competed at each edition of the Pan American Games since joining the
quadrennial competition for the first time at the Indianapolis 1987
Pan Am Games.

About:

The
CIOC selects, organizes and sends national teams to represent the
Cayman Islands to all multi-sport Games; assists the member
associations in sport development; and promotes Olympism across the
Cayman Islands.

The
Cayman Islands Olympic Committee was founded in 1973 and was
recognized by the International Olympic
Committee in
1976. From the beginning as a fledging association, undertaking but a
few tasks, it has now developed to a body representative of 22
member-sports, with significant undertakings at home and abroad.

The Cayman Islands first competed at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico in 1979.