For the first time Lima will host the World Skate Championship, a qualifier event for the Olympics

Peru is held in high regard as a major location for world-class sporting events, thanks largely to the organization of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. The Copa Libertadores final also took place in the Monumental Stadium in Ate, Lima, last November. This year, the Peruvian capital will host the South American Triathlon and, for the first time, World Skate Lima 2020, which will be held in the San Miguel Skate Park from April 5 to 11.

This acclaimed event in the world of skating travels to Peru as part of its circuit, a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where the sport of skateboarding will debut as a competition. For that reason, the best talents on the planet will compete on the Malecón Bertolotto boardwalk, aiming to increase their points to bring them closer to their big dream. Ángelo Caro is the main Peruvian competitor to watch out for.

The skate festivities 

World Skate Lima will feature the two styles that will be present at the Olympic Games: street skateboarding, consisting of aerial tricks and tricks performed on urban obstacles, and park skateboarding, a trial in which tricks are done in specially designed parks. 250 elite athletes, both male and female, are registered for the event,

which will also include an inline skate marathon on the final day. The 26-mile course will connect four districts, where 750 participants will try to get a taste of glory. At the end of the competition, a similar trial will be available that is open to the public. A variety of skating means are permitted, including scooters, longboards and quad skates. It is estimated that 20,000 people will take part in this adventure.   

Peru's worthy presence

Ángelo Caro Narvaez, Peru's main representative, is hoping for a place in the Olympic Games in the street category. The 20-year-old from Chiclayo has been practicing this sport for a decade. His brother taught him to master the board. As a teenager, he started winning titles and medals in national and international championships, including the Mystic Sk8 Cup world title in the Czech Republic in 2019, the same year he turned professional.

His options remain intact. The rules of the top skate organization state that there are twenty Tokyo 2020 places up for grabs in each specialty and two ways to access them. The first is by occupying the first three places from the dates of the world championship circuit in the 2020 season which, according to the calendar, will start in Lima. The other is through the ranking. Caro Narvaez is currently in eleventh place with 30,290 points, thanks to his seventh-place finish at the previous event in Rio de Janeiro last November.

Visitors in the spotlight

The hosting of World Skate Lima 2020 will have a positive impact on Peru. It is predicted that 6,000 tourists from 70 countries will arrive in the capital to enjoy the championship and, in the process, become acquainted with the tourist sites across the capital. Meanwhile, people are expected to attend during the week of the event.

The president of the International Roller Sports Federation, Sabatino Aracu, has said that the idea of this event in Lima is that it should become perennial, much like the great tournaments of the professional tennis circuit.

Did you know?

Besides Ángelo Caro, Peru is also represented in the World Championship by Pool Bellido, Jahir Oré, Mateo Aliaga, Fabrizzio Caro, Germán Montes, Walter López, José Morales, Josue Alonso, César Ruiz, Franco Ruiz, Helaman Campos and Daniel Cánepa. In the women's contest, Peru is represented by Dorothy Guzman.

World Skate Lima 2020 will reach 430 million people worldwide. 

Sources: World Skate/ Red Bull/ El Comercio