Pan American Games facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pan American Games

The Pan American Games, often called the Pan Am Games, is a huge sports event for countries in the Americas. It's like a mini-Olympics for North, Central, and South America, plus the Caribbean! Thousands of athletes compete in many different summer sports.

These exciting games happen every four years, always the year before the Summer Olympics. The first Pan Am Games were held in 1951. This makes them the second-oldest continental games in the world. There was also a Winter Pan American Games once, in 1990. In 2021, the Junior Pan American Games started, just for younger athletes.

The Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) is the group that runs the Pan American Games. They make sure the games follow rules similar to the Olympic Charter.

The most recent Pan Am Games were the 19th edition, held in Santiago, Chile, from October 20 to November 5, 2023. The 20th Pan Am Games will be held in Lima, Peru, in 2027. Since 2007, cities that host the Pan Am Games also host the Parapan American Games. These games are for athletes with physical disabilities and happen right after the main Pan Am Games.

The Pan Am Games involve many groups: international sports federations, national Olympic committees, and the teams that organize each specific game. PASO chooses which city will host the games. The host city then organizes and pays for the event. The sports played at the games are also chosen by PASO. The games have special traditions, like a flag, a torch relay, and big opening and closing ceremonies. More than 5,000 athletes compete in about 36 sports and nearly 400 events. Athletes who come in first, second, or third place get gold, silver, or bronze medals.

History of the Pan Am Games

How the Games Started

The idea for the Pan American Games first came up at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Representatives from Latin American countries thought it would be great to have a sports competition for all the countries in the Americas.

In 1937, a small sports event was held at the Pan-American Exposition in Dallas. It included sports like track and field, boxing, and wrestling. This event was a success! After that, Olympic officials from the Americas met to plan a bigger competition.

At the first Pan American Sports Congress in Buenos Aires in 1940, everyone agreed that the first games should be held in Buenos Aires in 1942. But World War II stopped these plans. After the war, during the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, another meeting confirmed Buenos Aires as the host city. The first games finally happened in 1951. They started on February 25 and featured 18 sports. Countries like Canada, which were part of the Commonwealth of Nations, did not compete in these first games.

The second Pan Am Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico. They began on March 12, with 2,583 athletes from 22 countries competing in 17 sports. Since then, the Pan American Games have been held every four years.

Recent Pan Am Games

The welcome centre at the 2015 Pan American Games athletes' village.

The first games in 1951 had 2,513 athletes from 14 countries. By the 2019 Pan American Games, there were 6,680 athletes from 41 countries! During the games, most athletes and officials stay in a special place called the Pan American Games village. This village is like a small town with cafeterias, health clinics, and places for different religions.

PASO allows places that are not fully independent countries, like Puerto Rico and Bermuda, to have their own Olympic committees and compete as separate teams.

Winter Pan American Games: A Short Story

Las Leñas, Argentina, hosted the only Pan American Winter Games.

There have been a few tries to hold Winter Pan American Games, but they haven't been very successful. The organizers of the 1951 games in Buenos Aires wanted to have winter events later that year, but not enough people were interested. Another problem is that the Americas cover both the northern and southern parts of the world, so when it's winter in one part, it's summer in the other!

Lake Placid, New York tried to organize Winter Games in 1959, but again, not enough countries wanted to join. So, those plans were canceled.

In 1988, PASO decided to hold the first Pan American Winter Games in Las Leñas, Argentina, in September 1989. They also agreed to hold them every four years. But there wasn't enough snow, so the games were moved to September 16–22, 1990. Only eight countries sent 97 athletes to Las Leñas. Most of them (76) were from Argentina, Canada, and the United States. The weather was unusually warm, and there was still little snow. So, only three skiing events were held: Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Super G. The United States and Canada won all 18 medals!

PASO chose Santiago, Chile, to host the second Winter Pan American Games in 1993. But the United States said they wouldn't come unless a full schedule of events was held. The Santiago organizers eventually gave up, and the idea of Winter Pan Am Games hasn't been brought up since.

Junior Pan American Games

On January 16, 2019, PASO announced a new event: the Junior Pan American Games. These games are like the Youth Olympic Games and are only for athletes under 21 years old. They also need less big stadiums and cost less money to host.

For the first Junior Games, cities like Cali, Colombia; Santa Ana, El Salvador; and Monterrey, Mexico wanted to host. Cali was chosen as the host city on March 27, 2019.

Asunción, Paraguay, was chosen to host the 2025 Junior Pan American Games.

Pan American Sports Organization (PASO)

The Pan American Games Movement includes many national and international sports groups, media partners, athletes, and officials. All of them agree to follow the rules of the Olympic Charter, which is also PASO's rulebook. PASO is the main organization for the Olympic Movement in the Americas. It chooses the host city, helps plan the games, approves the sports program, and handles sponsorships and TV rights.

The Pan American Games Movement has three main parts:

• International Federations (IFs) are the groups that manage a sport around the world. For example, FIFA is the IF for soccer, and Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) is for volleyball. There are 36 IFs in the Pan American Games Movement, one for each sport.
• National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represent and manage the Pan American Games movement in each country. For example, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is the NOC for the United States. PASO recognizes 41 NOCs.
• Organizing Committees for the Pan America Games (PAOGs) are temporary groups that organize a specific Pan American Games. They are dissolved after the games are over and they deliver their final report to PASO.

Spanish and English are the official languages of the Pan American Games Movement. The language of the host country is also used. For example, at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, Brazilian Portuguese was also used. Important announcements, like when each country enters during the opening ceremony, are spoken in these languages.

Symbols of the Games

The Pan American Games torch being lit in Teotihuacan.

The Pan American Games use special symbols to show the ideas of the Pan American Games charter. The Pan American Sports Organization flag has the PASO logo on a white background. In 1988, the Olympic Rings were added to the flag to show the strong connection between PASO and the International Olympic Committee. This flag is raised at every games. Until 2007, the Olympic Hymn was played when the flag was raised. In 2011, a new Pan Am Games anthem was played for the first time. This anthem was chosen in 2007 and officially adopted in 2008.

Like the Olympic flame, the Pan American Games flame is lit before the games begin. For the first games, the flame was lit in Olympia, Greece. For later games, the torch has been lit in a special ceremony that copies an ancient Aztec "new fire ceremony." These ceremonies were first held in Cerro de la Estrella National Park in Mexico City and later moved to the Pyramid of the Sun in the Teotihuacan Pyramids Complex. The only exception was for the São Paulo games in 1963, when the torch was lit in Brasília by the native Guaraní people. An Aztec elder lights the torch of the first person in the relay. This starts the Pan American torch relay, which carries the flame to the main stadium in the host city. The flame plays a very important part in the opening ceremony. Since 2011, the flame must burn in the stadium where the track and field events are held. If the opening ceremony and track and field are in different stadiums, the flame is moved. Sometimes, the flame burns in a cauldron outside the main stadium.

The Pan American Games mascot is an animal or human figure that shows the culture of the host country. Mascots were first used in 1979 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They are important for the games' identity and promotion. The mascot for the most recent Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, was Fiu, a colorful bird called a seven-colored rush tyrant.

Here are some past Games mascots:

• San Juan 1979: Coqui (a frog)
• Caracas 1983: Santiaguito (a lion)
• Indianapolis 1987: Amigo (a green parrot)
• Havana 1991: Tocopan (a bird)
• Mar del Plata 1995: Lobi (a sea lion)
• Winnipeg 1999: Duck and Lorita (ducks)
• Santo Domingo 2003: Tito (a manatee)
• Rio de Janeiro 2007: Cauê (the sun)
• Guadalajara 2011: Huichi (a deer), Gavo (an agave plant), and Leo (a lion)
• Toronto 2015: Pachi (a porcupine)
• Lima 2019: Milco (a statue)
• Santiago 2023: Fiu (a many-colored rush tyrant bird)

Ceremonies

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Pan American Games has several important parts. The organizers of each games can choose the order of the program. However, since 2007, the ceremony usually starts with the host country's national anthem. Then, the "parade of nations" happens, where athletes march in groups by country. Argentina traditionally enters first to honor where the games began, just like Greece enters first in the Olympic Games. Other countries usually enter in alphabetical order based on the host country's language. The host country's athletes always enter last.

After the parade, speeches are given to officially open the games. The PANAM Sports Flag and Olympic Flag are raised, and athletes take oaths. Then, the host country presents amazing artistic shows with music, singing, dancing, and theater that show its culture and history. These shows have become bigger and more complex over time, as each host tries to make their ceremony unforgettable. For example, the opening ceremony of the 2011 Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, reportedly cost $20 million!

Finally, the Pan American torch is carried into the stadium. It is passed from one person to another until it reaches the last torchbearer. This person is often a famous and successful athlete from the host country. They use the torch to light the Pan American Games flame in the stadium's cauldron.

Closing Ceremony

Athletes gather in the stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2007 Pan American Games.

The closing ceremony happens after all the sports events are finished. Flag-bearers from each country enter the stadium, followed by all the athletes, who walk in together without being grouped by country.

Two flags are raised while their national anthems play: the flag of the current host country and the flag of the country that will host the next Pan American Games. The head of the organizing committee and the president of PASO give speeches to officially close the games. They invite everyone to the next games. The PanAm Sports Flag and the Olympic Flag are lowered, and the Pan-American flame is put out.

In a special tradition called the Antwerp Ceremony, the leader of the city that hosted the games gives a special Pan American Games flag to the president of PASO. The PASO president then passes it to the leader of the city hosting the next games. After these official parts, the next host country gives a short presentation with artistic shows of its culture. This presentation can be about fifteen minutes long.

Medal Presentation

A medal ceremony during the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis.

After each event, medals are given to the athletes who finish first, second, and third. The winners get gold medals, second place gets silver, and third place gets bronze. In some sports, like boxing, where there isn't a third-place match, both athletes who lose in the semifinals get bronze medals. PASO doesn't officially track medal counts, but countries and the media do, to see how well their athletes performed.

Sports at the Games

Athletics has been held at all nineteen editions of the Pan American Games. Pictured here is the 10,000 metres event for men at the 2015 edition in Toronto.

Here are some of the sports that have been part of the Pan American Games:

Medals and Top Countries

Gold medal from the 2015 Pan American Games

Silver medal from the 2015 Pan American Games

Bronze medal from the 2015 Pan American Games

Swimmer Thiago Pereira of Brazil has a record 23 Pan American medals. Here he holds a gold medal during the 2007 edition.

Athletes or teams who finish first, second, or third in each event receive medals. First place gets gold, second gets silver, and third gets bronze. In some events, like boxing, where there isn't a match for third place, both athletes who lose in the semifinals get bronze medals. PASO doesn't keep official medal statistics, but countries and the news media do, to show how successful their athletes are.

Here are the top ten nations in the history of the Summer Pan American Games, based on medals won:

Summer Pan American Games

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	2,188	1,617	1,194	4,999
2	Cuba	938	642	613	2,193
3	Canada	537	776	918	2,231
4	Brazil	449	476	656	1,581
5	Argentina	343	391	501	1,235
6	Mexico	310	362	617	1,289
7	Colombia	165	208	296	669
8	Venezuela	110	235	317	662
9	Chile	69	141	205	415
10	Dominican Republic	48	82	146	276
Totals (10 entries)		5,157	4,930	5,463	15,550

Winter Pan American Games

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	4	2	5	11
2	Canada	2	4	1	7
Totals (2 entries)		6	6	6	18

List of Pan American Games Host Cities

Map of Pan American Games locations (host cities in red dots). Countries that have hosted one Pan Am Games are shaded green, while countries that have hosted two or more are shaded blue.

The Pan American Games have been held in 17 cities across 11 countries. Mexico and Canada have hosted the games three times each, more than any other nation. Only Winnipeg and Mexico City have hosted the games twice.

The host city for a Pan American Games is usually chosen about six to seven years before the event. Since 2024, cities or regions can apply to host the games. They present their ideas to their country's National Olympic Committee. If more than one city from the same country wants to host, their national committee usually picks one, because only one bid per country can be sent to PASO.

Then, the first phase begins. Cities fill out a questionnaire about how they would organize the games. They must promise to follow the Olympic Charter and PASO's rules. Experts from PASO review these plans to see which cities have the best chance to host. Based on this, PASO's Executive Board chooses which cities can move to the next stage.

In the next stage, the chosen cities give a bigger and more detailed presentation of their project. An evaluation team visits these cities, talks to local officials, and checks out the possible sports venues. They write a report about what they find. The bidding city must also show that it can pay for the games. Finally, a list of candidates is presented to the General Session of PASO. The members of PASO vote on the host city. Once a city is chosen, it signs a contract with PASO, officially becoming a Pan American Games host.

Edition	Year	Host city	Host nation	Opened by	Start date	End date	Nations	Competitors	Sports	Events	Top placed team
1	1951	Buenos Aires	Argentina	President Juan Domingo Perón	February 25	March 9	21	2,513	18	140	Argentina
2	1955	Mexico City	Mexico	President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines	March 12	March 26	22	2,583	17	146	United States
3	1959	Chicago	United States	Milton S. Eisenhower	August 27	September 7	25	2,263	15	166	United States
4	1963	São Paulo	Brazil	Governor Adhemar de Barros	April 20	May 5	22	1,665	19	160	United States
5	1967	Winnipeg	Canada	Prince Philip	July 23	August 6	29	2,361	19	169	United States
6	1971	Cali	Colombia	President Misael Pastrana Borrero	July 30	August 13	32	2,935	17	164	United States
7	1975	Mexico City	Mexico	President Luis Echeverría	October 12	October 26	33	3,146	19	190	United States
8	1979	San Juan	Puerto Rico	Governor Carlos Romero Barceló	July 1	July 15	34	3,700	21	249	United States
9	1983	Caracas	Venezuela	President Luis Herrera Campins	August 14	August 29	36	3,426	22	249	United States
10	1987	Indianapolis	United States	Vice President George H. W. Bush	August 7	August 23	38	4,360	27	296	United States
11	1991	Havana	Cuba	President Fidel Castro	August 2	August 18	39	4,519	28	331	Cuba
12	1995	Mar del Plata	Argentina	President Carlos Menem	March 12	March 26	42	5,144	34	408	United States
13	1999	Winnipeg	Canada	Governor General Roméo LeBlanc	July 23	August 8	42	5,083	34	330	United States
14	2003	Santo Domingo	Dominican Republic	President Hipólito Mejía	August 1	August 17	42	5,223	34	338	United States
15	2007	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Carlos Arthur Nuzman	July 13	July 29	42	5,633	33	331	United States
16	2011	Guadalajara	Mexico	President Felipe Calderón	October 14	October 30	42	5,996	36	361	United States
17	2015	Toronto	Canada	Governor General David Johnston	July 10	July 26	41	6,123	36	364	United States
18	2019	Lima	Peru	President Martín Vizcarra	July 26	August 11	41	6,668	38	419	United States
19	2023	Santiago	Chile	President Gabriel Boric	October 20	November 5	41	6,909	39	425	United States
20	2027	Lima	Peru	TBD	July 16	August 1	41	TBD	36	TBD	TBD
21	2031	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	41	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Participating Nations

As of the 2023 games, 35 countries and six territories compete in the Pan American Games. Their National Olympic Committees are recognized by the Pan American Sports Organization.

See also

In Spanish: Juegos Panamericanos para niños