Visa champions gender equality in sports, honoring the journey of Team Visa athletes from Latin America and the Caribbean toward Paris 2024
Visa celebrates historic milestone of assembling the most diverse roster of athletes yet, achieving full gender parity for its Team Visa in Latin America and the Caribbean.
From running daily at heights over 3,000 meters, doing more than 200,000 spins or getting up after 7,000 falls, Team Visa athletes are vivid examples that small steps over time can lead to great achievements.
Miami, June 26, 2024 – With just one month to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Visa celebrates its strongest and most diverse Team Visa line-up yet from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The team features 24 athletes from 14 markets, competing in 17 sports. This group, consisting of 17 Olympic and 7 Paralympic athletes, marks a milestone in the history of the Team Visa program for LAC. Visa has achieved full gender parity with a balanced representation of female and male athletes (12 each), aligning with Paris 2024’s goal of equal representation for both women and men in the field of play.¹This achievement underscores Visa’s commitment to championing diversity and gender equality in sports.
“As a long-standing partner of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, at Visa we are proud to play a significant role in realizing the most inclusive and equal Games to date,” said Luciana Resende Lotze, Head of Marketing for Visa Latin America and the Caribbean. “Our enduring belief that anyone can make it shapes our strategy. We focus not on position or stature, but on progress, enabling people to take steps forward. From securely powering transactions, to supporting small businesses, we unlock potential. Through programs like Team Visa, we stand with our athletes, supporting their journey to achieving their ambitions and recognizing the hard work behind each success story.”
Inspiring Athletes with Remarkable Achievements
Team Visa athletes have compelling progress stories. They personify the spirit of resilience, dedication and continuous efforts, as shown in Visa’s recently released “Prodigies” brand film. Through their commitment to their sports, these athletes have overcome adversity, broken down barriers and pursued their goals over the years. Imagine completing 20 laps around the earth in paracycling, lifting weight equivalent to the 70,000 tons of the Arc de Triomphe, hitting 2 million tennis balls, enduring 7,000 falls to secure gold in Para Athletics long jump, or defending the midfield for more than 3,600 minutes. These seemingly small steps, but gigantic in aggregation, signify their unyielding determination and have brought them closer to their Olympic and Paralympic dreams. As Miren Vicente, Vice President of Sponsorships and Client Marketing for Visa Latin America and the Caribbean, puts it, “At Visa, we recognize that great achievements do not always come from grand gestures. More often, they are the result of subtle shifts, small but determined steps taken consistently, leading to extraordinary outcomes.”
These athletes aren't just remarkable in their sports disciplines. They are also proven achievers. Collectively, Team Visa athletes from LAC have won 10 Olympic and Paralympic medals combined, in addition to multiple other international achievements. This year's team includes five members who will be competing in their first Games. Each athlete from Team Visa has been chosen for their inspiring journeys, athletic performance, commitment to community and alignment with Visa’s core values of equality, access, and inclusion.
The Team Visa LAC roster for Paris 2024 includes athletes like Neisi Dajomes Barrera (Ecuador), who won gold in women’s 76kg at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020; Yuber Pichihua (Peru), a paracycling winner of 16 international medals; José Pablo Gil (Costa Rica), the first Costa Rican to compete internationally in wheelchair tennis and the 36th ranked player in the world; Luisa Tejada “Luma” (Colombia), making her Olympic debut, the #9 break dancer of the world and #1 in South America; Marcos Moneta (Argentina), selected the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2021; Maria José “Cote” Rojas (Chile), a winner of three international skateboarding competitions, Hillary Heron (Panama), one of the top gymnasts in South America and José Rodolfo Chessani (Mexico), a Para Athletics gold medalist.
The full line-up is completed by Julieta Jankunas (Field Hockey, Argentina), Lucas Martinez (Field Hockey, Argentina), Gustavo Fernández (Wheelchair Tennis, Argentina), Debinha (Soccer, Brazil), Raissa Rocha (Para-Athletics, Brazil), Alberto Abarza (Para Swimming, Chile), Daniela Montoya (Soccer, Colombia), Brisa Hennessy (Surf, Costa Rica), Kiara Rodríguez (Para-Athletics, Ecuador), Enrique Arathoon (Sailing, El Salvador), Sophia Hernandez (Modern Pentathlon, Guatemala), Melique García (Athletics, Honduras), Rasheed Broadbell (Athletics, Jamaica), Alejandra Valencia (Archery, México), Cristhian Pacheco (Athletics, Peru) and Dylan Carter (Swimming, Trinidad and Tobago).
Leading gender equity in Sports
As a brand committed to promoting gender equality, Visa has been a relentless champion of elite athletes, not only in the sports arena but also as they transition into their future careers. Visa has consistently invested in empowering these athletes, helping level the playing field for female athletes everywhere.
Since launching the Team Visa program in 2000, Visa has helped more than 600 athletes in furthering their sports careers and beyond. Notably, 55% of these athletes are women, a clear testament to Visa's determined efforts to drive gender parity not just in sports, but in all walks of life. Currently, Visa is championing 136 Team Visa athletes globally, as they gear up for Paris 2024. This represents the most diverse and largest group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the history of the program, representing over 60 countries across 40 sports.
Visa is celebrating almost four decades of Olympic Games sponsorship. Since 1986, Visa has been a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games and, from 2002, the first global partner of the International Paralympic Committee.