A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the Olympic Games, first held in modern times in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and inspired by the Ancient Olympic Games, one of a number of such events held in antiquity. Most modern multi-sport events have the same basic structure. Games are held over the course of several days in and around a "host city", which changes for each competition. Countries send national teams to each competition, consisting of individual athletes and teams that compete in a wide variety of sports. Athletes or teams are awarded gold, silver or bronze medals for first, second and third place respectively. Each game is generally held every four years, though some are annual competitions.
The Pan American Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held among athletes from nations of the Americas, every four years in the year before the Summer Olympic Games. It is the second oldest continental games in the world. The only Winter Pan American Games were held in 1990. In 2021, the Junior Pan American Games was held for the first time specifically for young athletes. The Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) is the governing body of the Pan American Games movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter.
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games and commonly known as Winnipeg 1999, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and cities. Canoeing competitions started the day before the games officially began. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated in the games to vie for a total of 330 medal events in 34 sports and 42 disciplines.
The 2003 Pan American Games, officially the XIV Pan American Games and commonly known as Santo Domingo 2003, were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the Games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America.
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in 47 disciplines. During the Games, 95 new Pan American records were set; 2,196 medals were awarded; 1,262 doping control tests were performed and about 15,000 volunteers participated in the organization of the event, which served as an Olympic qualification occasion for 13 International Federations (IFs).
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, was an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, Puerto Vallarta, Lagos de Moreno and Tapalpa. It was the largest multi-sport event of 2011, with approximately 6,000 athletes from 42 nations participating in 36 sports. Both the Pan American and Parapan American Games were organized by the Guadalajara 2011 Organizing Committee (COPAG). The 2011 Pan American Games were the third Pan American Games hosted by Mexico and the first held in the state of Jalisco. Previously, Mexico hosted the 1955 Pan American Games and the 1975 Pan American Games, both in Mexico City. The 2011 Parapan American Games were held 20 days after the Pan American Games had ended.
Panam Sports is an international organization which represents the current 41 National Olympic Committees of the American continent.
Badminton has been part of the Pan American Games since the 1995 Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Canada has dominated the badminton events since its inception. At the most recent edition of the games in 2019, in Lima, five nations won medals, with Canada taking home four of the five titles.
The 2015 Pan American Games, officially the XVII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games or Toronto 2015, were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, as governed by Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). The games were held from July 10 to 26, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; preliminary rounds in certain events began on July 7, 2015. These were the third Pan American Games hosted by Canada, and the first in the province of Ontario. The Games were held at venues in Toronto and 17 other Golden Horseshoe communities. The Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games were organized by the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games (TO2015).
Since its first edition held in 1951, athletics events have been competed at the Pan American Games. The events list follows the Olympic model as the Games are an IOC sanctioned competition.
The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Games was the last Parapan American Games that was not held in the same city as the Pan American Games. The most recent Parapan American Games were held between 17 and 26 November 2023, in Santiago, Chile.
The 2019 Pan American Games, officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as Lima 2019, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization held in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019, with preliminary rounds in certain events having begun on July 24, 2019. These were the first Pan American Games to be held in Peru, and the seventh to be held in South America.
Athletics competitions at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara was held from October 23 to October 30 at the newly built Telmex Athletics Stadium. The racewalking and marathon events were held on the temporary Guadalajara Circuit and Route and the Pan American Marathon circuit respectively. The sport of athletics is split into distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking events.
The Pan American Games sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer Olympic Games. In addition, traditional and popular sports throughout the Americas which are not contested at the Olympic Games are also contested such as bowling and baseball. As of 2015, the Pan American Games included 36 sports with 51 disciplines and 364 events. The number and kinds of events may change slightly from one Pan American Games to another.
The United States competed at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, from October 14 to October 30, 2011.
The 2023 Pan American Games, officially the XIX Pan American Games and commonly known as Santiago 2023, were an international multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, held in Santiago, Chile from October 20 to November 5, 2023; preliminary rounds in certain events began on October 18, 2023. These are the first Pan American Games to be held in Chile, and the eighth to be held in South America.
The United States competed in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019. The team included 313 men and 327 women.
Athletics competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru were held between July 27 and August 11, 2019 at the Athletics Stadium in the Villa Deportiva Nacional Videna cluster, with the marathon and walks being held at Kennedy Park.
The 2021 Junior Pan American Games was the first edition of the Junior Pan American Games, an international multi-sports event for athletes aged 17 to 22 in the Americas, organized by Panam Sports. It was held in Cali and Valle, Colombia between November 25 to December 5, 2021.
The Pan American Wrestling Championships is the continental wrestling championships for nations from North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Three wrestling styles, recognized internationally by UWW, have been contested annually since the inception, namely: Greco-Roman, freestyle and Sambo wrestling. Since 1997, women's freestyle has also been contested along with the mentioned wrestling styles.
