Colombia’s men’s and women’s teams will be looking to cause an upset at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games next week.
The Parapan Am Games will act as the zonal qualification tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, with three spots available in the men’s competition and only two spots up for grabs in the women’s competition.
The Colombian men’s team finished 2nd at the Guadalajara Parapan Am Games in 2011 to secure a place at the London 2012 Paralympics but could only finish 5th at the Toronto Parapan Am Games in 2015 to miss out on a place at Rio 2016.
There are two changes to the squad that qualified for Lima by finishing 3rd at the 2018 Men’s South American Championship, as Cardoso opts to introduce some youngsters into the side – Yeison Perez at just 16 years old alongside Juan Escobar at 18 years old.
The Colombian women’s team had their last major international outing at the 2017 Americas Cup, where despite improved performances, they finished last. There are four changes to that team with the addition of Francia Montes and Angela Rodriguez, as well as youngsters Diva Reyes and Caren Duenas.
Colombia’s Head Coach Ana Cardoso said:
“Colombia is hoping to regain its tradition of being one of the best basketball teams both male and female. Colombia has always had good and talented players who play in Europe and other countries, but now we are gathering these talented players together to play good games at a higher level in the Parapan American Championship in Lima.
“The idea is to fight for a spot in Tokyo but we know about the big teams there are. We already respect all of them but we are also working hard to achieve this vacancy.
“I am very happy with the national teams because they are very disciplined groups and always pay attention to the teachings, which will help us to play a good role in Lima.”
COLOMBIA MEN’S ROSTER FOR THE LIMA 2019 PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES
| Players Name | Classification | Age at start of Championship |
| Nelson Sanz | 4.5 | 45 |
| Raul Vega | 1.0 | 26 |
| Joymar Granados | 2.5 | 24 |
| Guillermo Alzate | 1.5 | 36 |
| Yeison Perez | 2.0 | 16 |
| Andres Florez | 1.0 | 30 |
| Jose Leep | 3.0 | 41 |
| Daniel Diaz | 4.5 | 29 |
| Rodney Hawkins | 4.0 | 37 |
| Juan Escobar | 3.5 | 18 |
| Jhon Hernandez | 3.5 | 26 |
| Jhoan Vargas | 2.0 | 32 |
COLOMBIA WOMEN’S ROSTER FOR THE LIMA 2019 PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES
| Players Name | Classification | Age at start of Championship |
| Magda Victoria | 3.5 | 38 |
| Francia Montes | 2.0 | 27 |
| Gloria Morales | 2.5 | 50 |
| Lina Medina | 4.5 | 37 |
| Yuly Quiceno | 2.0 | 22 |
| Johana Clavijo | 2.0 | 37 |
| Luisa Martinez | 1.0 | 37 |
| Leidy Gonzalez | 1.0 | 23 |
| Gladys Gomez | 4.0 | 29 |
| Angela Rodriguez | 4.5 | 30 |
| Diva Reyes | 4.0 | 23 |
| Caren Duenas | 1.0 | 16 |
Visit the Comite Paralimpico Colombiano for more information on the Colombian teams
To follow the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games stay tuned to the event page where all up to date information and links to live stream wll be posted.
