Memories of the XVI Pan American Games held in Guadalajara eight years ago still linger in the minds of many Tapatios.

Now it is the turn of Lima, Peru, to host the 28th edition of the sporting bonanza, from July 26 to August 11.

Mexico will be taking 543 athletes to the games,  the third largest delegation, eclipsed only by the United States (643) and hosts Peru (592). (Canada is not far behind, with 478 athletes in its delegation.)

Sports Commission Director Ana Guevara says she expects a minimum haul of 19 gold medals from Mexico’s competitors. At the Toronto games in 2015, Mexico’s total of 22 golds was achieved with a delegation of only 480 athletes.  The country’s best-ever total was 42 gold  medals in the 2011 Guadalajara games.

Organizers are expecting 9,500 athletes to participate in the games, which include 419 events in 39 sports. This is the largest number of medal events ever held at a single edition of the Pan American Games. Bodybuilding and surfing will be contested for the first time, while Basque pelota will be reinstated after being absent from the 2015 games.

The opening ceremony takes place Friday, July 26, 6 p.m., and can be viewed on ESPN’s Latin American channels.