President of the Peruvian Sports Institute (IPD), Máximo Pérez Zevallos, inspection at the Elías Aguirre stadium in Chiclayo had a tense moment, as the staff of this public entity had the express instruction to prevent press access to the sports venue, which looks abandoned due to lack of maintenance for many years.
Intervention of the Lambayeque regional governor, Luis Díaz Bravo, allowed journalists to enter the stadium and capture images of the poor condition of the Elías Aguirre stadium infrastructure.
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Accesses to the venue were filled with dirt, the soccer field with artificial turf that has reached the end of its lifespan, the roof of the west stand with observations from Civil Defense, as well as leaks in the east stand. In addition, the swimming pool is out of service due to problems with the operating motors.
What did IPD say?
The administrator of IPD Lambayeque, Mercy Alvitez, stated that the order to prevent press access came from the president of the IPD central headquarters.
However, the president of IPD, Máximo Pérez Zevallos, had no problem giving statements to the press; however, his institutional press staff tried to cut off journalists' questions.
East stand is heavily affected. Photo: GLR
An absent IPD
For years, the Peruvian Sports Institute (IPD) has remained distant from the Lambayeque headquarters, which is why the sports venue looks neglected and abandoned.
This stadium was the main venue for the 2004 Copa America with a beautiful natural grass field, which was later replaced with synthetic turf for the 2005 U17 World Cup.