Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (more commonly known as the Pan Am Games) is an Olympic-style sporting event staged every four years that features athletes from countries throughout the Americas in various sporting competitions.
Organized and overseen by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) -- made up of 42 nations from South, Central, and North America as well as the Caribbean -- the Pan Am Games includes hundreds of events in more than 30 different sports, with medals awarded to the top three finishers in each competition.
The 2011 Pan Games will be held from October 14-30, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is the third time Mexico has hosted the Games, but the first since 1975.
Origins
The first edition of the Pan Am Games was staged in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1951, but the concept for such an international competition had been under consideration for decades before its inception.
During an Olympic Congress held during the 1924 Summer Games in Paris,members of the International Olympic Committee from Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico proposed the creation of a similar, regional sports event in which Central American countries would participate.
Two editions of the Central American Games were held -- in Mexico City in 1926 and Havana in 1930 -- before another proposal was introduced during the 1932 Olympic Games, when representatives of Latin American delegations suggested a regional games for all the Americas. That proposal led to the establishment of the Pan American Sports Congress, which held its first meeting in 1940 and selected Buenos Aires to host the inaugural Pan Am Games in 1942, but World War II caused the games to be postponed.
Early Games
Interest in staging the Pan Am Games picked up again after the war; a second Pan American Sports Congress, held during the 1948 Olympic Games in London, set up plans to give Buenos Aires another chance to serve as initial host, and in February of 1951, 22 countries and over 2,500 athletes participated in the inaugural Pan Am Games. Host nation Argentina topped the medals table, claiming 68 gold medals and 154 total medals throughout the two-week competition.
Set up to be held every four years (in the year prior to each Summer Olympics), the Pan Am Games then moved to North America for its next two editions -- with Mexico City hosting the event in 1955 and Chicago staging the games in 1959 (replacing original host Cleveland, Ohio). The U.S. team collected over 100 gold medals in dominating the medals awarded in events encompassing 18 different sports that year.
The competition began to grow in scope and popularity during the 1960s, as Sao Paulo, Brazil and Winnipeg, Canada took turns at hosting the regional event. The sixth edition of the Pan Am Games, held in July and August of 1971 in Cali, Colombia, marked the first time that more than 30 nations participated in the competition.
Recent Games
In 1975, Mexico City became the first city to host the Pan Am Games for a second time. Santiago, Chile had been originally been awarded the games, but had to withdraw for financial and political reasons. Fourteen years later, Winnipeg became the only other city to host a second time, when 42 nations and approximately 5,000 athletes took part in the 1999 edition.
The U.S. team has continued to dominate the medals awarded in competitions at each Pan Am Games, consistently outdistancing other countries in the medal counts at each event. Besides the inaugural edition, the only other time the U.S. did not capture the most gold medals was in 1991, when host nation Cuba collected 140 to the U.S. team's 130 golds.
The number of participants and medal events continues to grow with each edition. The 2007 Pan Am Games, with a budget of 2 billion dollars, was the most expensive in the event's history and helped host city Rio de Janeiro, Brazil complete successful campaigns to gain hosting duties for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
2011 Host City
Guadalajara, Mexico is the capital of the state of Jalisco, and is located in the western part of the Mexican Republic, in Jalisco's central region. Founded in 1542 and recognized as one of Mexico's most influential cultural, industrial, and economic centers, Guadalajara is renowned for its traditions and for its artistic, cultural, and recreational attractions.
The total population of the municipality of Guadalajara is approximately 1.5 million inhabitants, making it the fifth most populated in Mexico. The Guadalajara metropolitan area (made up of eight municipalities) has a total of 4.4 million inhabitants; it is the ninth biggest urban area in Latin America and the second most densely populated municipality in the country (behind Mexico City).
Known as the "city of eternal spring," Guadalajara has hosted a number of international events, including the first Ibero-American Summit in 1991; the Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit in 2004; the North American Leaders' Summit in 2009 and the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in 2010. Guadalajara was named American Capital of Culture in 2005 and Educator City in both 2006 and 2010.
Guadalajara will be the host of the 2011 Pan Am Games, the international sporting competition held every four years. Beaten out by Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in the host city election process for the 2003 Pan Am Games, Guadalajara was awarded as 2011 host at the Pan American Sports Organization's general assembly meeting in June 2006. Organizers have since constructed new sporting venues, convention centers, hotel space and improved transportation to prepare for the Pan Am Games.
The Omni Life Stadium in Guadalajara, home of the Chivas football/soccer team, will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2011 Pan Am Games. Other sites in Guadalajara that will host various competitions throughout the event include new aquatics, volleyball and gymnastics centers, along with a basketball arena and a covered velodrome. Nearby cities and towns where other events will be staged during the 2011 Games include Tapalpa, Cuidad Guzman, Lagos de Moreno and Puerto Vallarta.
Sports and Events at the 2011 Pan American Games
Archery
Athletics (Track & Field)
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Basque PelotaTrinkete
36 metre-Fronton
30 metre-Fronton
Beach Volleyball
Bowling
Boxing
CanoeingKayak
Canoa
Cycling - BMX
Cycling - Mountain
Cycling - Road
Cycling - Track
Diving
Equestrian
Fencing
Football (Soccer)
Gymnastics - Artistic
Gymnastics - Rhythmic
Gymnastics - Trampoline
Handball
Hockey
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Judo
Karate
Modern Pentathlon
Racquetball
Roller Skating
Rowing
Rugby Sevens
Sailing
Shooting
Softball
Squash
Swimming
Swimming - Open Water
Swimming - Synchronized
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Water Polo
Water Ski
Weightlifting
WrestlingFreestyle
Greco Roman
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VIDEO RESULTS FOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES
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18 Under 18: Deireanne Morales
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espnW Top Ten Plays of the Week
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July 28, 2011
NEWS RESULTS FOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES
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Liz Reap Carlson is breaking records -- and age barriers
Michelle Hamilton, Special to espnWElite track cyclist Liz Reap Carlson, faster than ever at 42, has sped past obstacles to have a shot at the London Games.
Story | Conversation | March 06, 2012 -
Five goals for the Mexican team approaching Olympics
Brent LathamThe Mexican Olympic team has reconvened with a flurry of activity over the past two weeks, after a long break following the Pan-Am Games triumph late ...
Blog | Conversation | February 24, 2012 -
U.S. field hockey team eyes Olympics
ESPN.com, OLYMPICSComing off a gold-medal performance at the Pan Am Games, the United States now eyes the 2012 Olympic Games. Head coach Lee Bodimead discussed the team...
Story | November 09, 2011 -
Faulty 2011 Pan Am Games medals will be replaced
Associated PressThe organizing committee of the 2011 Panamerican Games in Guadalajara say any faulty medals will be replaced after several athletes complained that their prizes had faded in color, particularly the bronze medals.
Story | Conversation | November 06, 2011 -
Soccer - What we learned from Mexico's gold medal at the Pan Am Games
Brent LathamEl Tri's golden summer got a little better over the weekend, when Mexico's U-22s took the top spot on the podium, to little surprise, at the Pan Am Ga...
Blog | Conversation | November 03, 2011
PHOTO RESULTS FOR PAN AMERICAN GAMES
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PAN AM GAMES QUICK FACTS
First Held: 1951
Nations: 42
Sports: 36
Events: 361
2011 Dates: Oct. 14-30
2011 Host: Guadalajara, Mexico
RELATED SEARCHES
PAN AM GAMES COVERAGE
ESPN.com has the 2011 Pan American Games covered from every angle. Olympics Blog » ESPN Deportes » espnW »
PAN AMERICAN GAMES
| Games | Year | Host |
|---|---|---|
| XVII | 2015 | Toronto, Canada |
| XVI | 2011 | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| XV | 2007 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| XIV | 2003 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| XIII | 1999 | Winnipeg, Canada |
| XII | 1995 | Mar del Plata, Argentina |
| XI | 1991 | Havana, Cuba |
| X | 1987 | Indianapolis, United States |
| IX | 1983 | Caracas, Venezuela |
| VIII | 1979 | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| VII | 1975 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| VI | 1971 | Cali, Colombia |
| V | 1967 | Winnipeg, Canada |
| IV | 1963 | São Paulo, Brazil |
| III | 1959 | Chicago, United States |
| II | 1955 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| I | 1951 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
ALL-TIME SUMMER MEDALS TABLE
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,769 | 1,300 | 867 | 3,936 |
| Cuba | 781 | 531 | 484 | 1,796 |
| Canada | 347 | 546 | 684 | 1,577 |
| Brazil | 239 | 284 | 402 | 925 |
| Argentina | 258 | 286 | 372 | 916 |
| Mexico | 155 | 217 | 410 | 782 |
| Venezuela | 73 | 156 | 224 | 453 |
| Colombia | 58 | 109 | 160 | 327 |
| Chile | 36 | 69 | 109 | 214 |
| Puerto Rico | 21 | 71 | 113 | 205 |
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