Thirteen candidates stand for Panam Sports Athlete Commission as elections open

Two are former Olympic champions, including Beijing 2008 madison champion Walter Pérez of Argentina and London 2012 épée champion Rubén Limardo of Venezuela. 

Beijing 2008 470 class sailing bronze medallist Isabel Swan of Brazil and men's water polo silver medallist Tony Azevedo are up for election.

Also running is Mexican racquetball star Paola Longoria, who has six Pan American gold medals to her name, Canada's beach volleyball world champion Melissa Humana-Paredes and two-times team archery Pan American Games champion Ana Rendón of Colombia.

Rounding off the list of candidates is Dominican Republic baseball player Diego Castillo, Jamaican squash player Christopher Binnie, modern pentathlete Esteban Bustos of Chile, cyclist Amber Joseph of Barbados, Guatemalan archer Thomas Flassbach and Bermudian swimmer Julian Fletcher. 

Athletes can vote for their preferred candidates on tablets located at the Panam Sports Athlete hub in the Pan American Village dining hall.

Voting tablets are also available at the satellite Athletes' Villages.

Those who are elected will join current Athlete Commission members Carlos Santiago of Puerto Rico, Adriana Escobar of El Salvador and Aliann Pompey of Guyana, who will all continue to serve until the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

Current Athlete Commission President Alexandra Orlando of Canada, Andrea Estrada of Guatemala, Thiago Pereira of Brazil, Cuba's Mijain Lopez and Mexico's Guillermo Perez will be leaving the Commission. 

The announcement of the five new members will take place before the Lima 2019 Closing Ceremony on August 11.

"On behalf of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission, we are very excited to launch elections during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games," said Orlando.

"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."