Peru was the host nation at the last edition of the Games, Lima 2019, and finished 10th on the medals table with 15 medals, including five golds.

That was then followed up at Tokyo 2020 as Leonor Espinoza clinched her country's first gold medal for more than 20 years as she triumphed in the women's under-49-kilograms taekwondo tournament.

Now Villar and her team are focusing on this year's continental event in the Chilean capital and the Paralympics in Paris.

"We are no longer going to these competitions only to take part," she said.

"We are going to compete."

Villar was named as one of the top-50 most powerful women in Peru by Forbes magazine.

While she called it "an honour", she is determined to continue developing Para sports in Peru and is aiming to build the country's first dedicated facility for athletes to train.

"The Paralympic Movement in Peru is growing, but we need more people involved," Villar said.

"We need to have physical activities for people with disabilities.

"How can we get to a professional level without grassroots sport?

"There is still a long way to go.

"It's an ongoing battle.

"Because we need to keep teaching people in a constructive way, so they are not sorry for individuals with disabilities but see them as people with determination who just struggle more because they don’t have the same opportunities or accessibility."

Villar served as Peru's Chef de Mission at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.

The experience furthered her passion to spread awareness for Para sports in Peru and she has been ANPPERU President since its inception in 2015.

"Going to those Games was a life lesson," she said.

"I saw how Peru was behind, due to a lack of knowledge and ignorance about Paralympic sport."