Last Saturday, May 27th, at the Parque Estadio Nacional it was carried out an activity led by the Sports Minister, Jaime Pizarro, with the objective to make known the people in charge of carrying the Chilean flag in the opening ceremony during the Bogota 2023 Youth Parapan American Games.
The honor is for two outstanding national Para athletes: the representative of wheelchair basketball, Catalina Farías, and Ignacio Torres, a Para table tennis player who won a bronze medal at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. Said distinguished Para athlete talked with us about such responsibility and his projections facing the sport youth event that will start next Friday, June 2nd.
DID YOU EXPECT TO BE THE NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER IN THE GAMES?
I didn’t expect this, it was a surprise for me. The Paralympic Committee told us a week ago, approximately, while I was training. So that day I trained with a smile on my face. My partners congratulated me a lot; I’m very proud and happy about this.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU COMPLYING WITH THIS ROLE IN BOGOTA?
It’s a great happiness and pride, and also a responsibility because I’ll be in charge of representing all the Para athletes that will go in the name of Chile to this Youth Parapan American.
DO YOU THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE FRIENDSHIPS OR GET CLOSER BONDS WITH OTHER REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARACHILE TEAM?
Obviously. In this case I’ll be the most known and the eyes will be on me because I’ll be the standard bearer, but I take this with humility, always being nice so you can make friends. You don’t change the way you are after carrying a flag or winning a tournament. I always try to be as nice as I can with my partners.
Ignacio Torres in the National Torunament of para table tennis 2022. (Picture: COPACHI).
PREPARING THE LAST DETAILS TO SANTIAGO 2023
The 2022 season was essential in the Para Table Tennis National Circuit and for the expectations of each Para athlete that are part of this, because the accumulated results of the last year were a guarantee to assure a quota for Santiago 2023.
This is the case of Ignacio, who after an outstanding year sealed his qualification to the maximum continental event. This way, the Lima 2019 bronze medalist sees in the Bogota Youth Parapan a great alternative to find his best version before the multisport event in November.
WHICH ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR BOGOTA 2023?
We’ll be at the airport on May 30th to travel during the early morning. I haven’t seen in detail the list of the other countries, but as far as I know, I won’t compete against any other rival that could be on Santiago 2023. This Pan American is very important, but as it doesn’t provide quotas for the event in November, it will be great as a training for the most important competition of the year that is Santiago 2023.
HOW DOES THE CATEGORY IN WHICH YOU PARTICIPATE WORK WITHIN PARA TABLE TENNIS?
Our sport is divided into eleven categories. From category one to five the Para athletes use a wheelchair, while categories from six to ten are ambulants. Category eleven is composed of Para athletes with a cognitive impairment. I participate in category six, where players are ambulant with a higher impairment level. In this Youth Parapan American it’s very probable that categories are combined because there are a few competitors, that means that category six and seven can gather and I would have to face, for example, Claudio Bahamondes, another Chilean representative.
COMMUNICATIONS SANTIAGO 2023
Mail: comunicaciones@
Instagram: @
Instagram Mascot: @fiusantiago2023
Twitter: @santiago2023
Facebook: /Santiago2023oficial
Youtube: @Santiago2023oficial
TikTok: @Santiago2023oficial
Flickr: @Santiago2023
