Pan American Games sports

The Racquetball competition held during the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, one of the non-Olympic sports played on the sports program.

The Pan American Games sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer Olympic Games. ^[1] 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. ^[1] As of 2015, the Pan American Games included 36 sports with 51 disciplines and 364 events. ^[2] The number and kinds of events may change slightly from one Pan American Games to another.

Sports, disciplines, events

For purposes of Pan American Games competition, the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) makes a distinction between sports and disciplines. A sport, in Pan American Games terms, is a single or group of disciplines as represented by an international governing body, namely an International Federation. For example, aquatics, represented at the Olympic level by the International Swimming Federation, is a sport at the Pan American Games that includes the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo disciplines.

Every Summer Olympic discipline is currently on the Pan American Games program. The last such discipline to be added was canoe slalom, which made its debut in 2015 in Toronto, Canada. ^[1] The discipline had been scheduled to be held at both the 2007 and 2011 Pan American Games, but had been dropped both times due to the small number of competing countries. ^[3] The Games also include some disciplines which have never been contested at a Summer Olympics. Examples can be found in baseball and softball, now considered a single Pan Am Games sport due to sharing a single international federation. Both were last contested in the Olympics in 2008 and will return in 2020, but baseball has been strictly for men and softball for women. In the Pan Am Games, men's softball has been on the program on several occasions, most recently in 2015; women's baseball made its debut in 2015.

Medals are awarded on a per-event basis; there can be one or more events per sport or discipline. ^[4] In fact, every current Pan American Games discipline has at least two events.

Changes

Futsal was dropped after being played at only one Games.

The Pan American Games charter establishes that they comprise the program of the Games, the 28 compulsory sports of the program of the Olympic Games plus seven sports recognized by the entity, due to its popularity in the American continent, if a new sport becomes Olympic it is automatically added to the program of the Pan American Games. This only happens, if the number of national federations in the Americas is sufficient. ^[5] In the same way that it happens in the Universiade, the Organizing Committee of the each edition can request the inclusion of new sports or disciplines, respecting the local demands. ^[6] An example of this is the removal of the Basque pelota in the program of the Games of 2007 and 2015 and its replacement respectively by futsal. ^[7] and the woman's baseball tournament. ^[8]

Until the 2011 Games in Guadalajara, just one Olympic event was never held, the canoe slalom. The event was planned to be held in the 2007 and 2011 editions, but was eventually canceled due to the low number of entries. Thus, the event was held for the first time at the 2015 Games. ^[3]

Previous Pan American Games have included sports which are no longer present on the current program, like futsal and polo. ^[4]

The International Olympic Committee voted on October 9, 2009, during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, to elevate both rugby sevens and golf as official Olympic sports and to include them in the Olympics, beginning with the 2016 Olympic Games. ^{[9] [10]} With this development, rugby sevens made its debut at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, ^[11] and golf was played at the 2015 Pan American Games before becoming an Olympic sport. ^[1] In 2015, as a result of a request from the organizing committee, PASO decided to include surfing in the 2019 Pan American Games program. The following year, a few days before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics, surfing was integrated to the 2020 Summer Olympics program. ^[12]

Multiple new sports and events were added to the 2023 Games; breaking, skateboarding and sport climbing. ^{[13] [14]}

Cricket will make its Pan American Games debut in 2027. ^[15] The sports of basketball, breaking, bowling and racquetball were dropped, with the earlier not being contested for the first time ever at the Pan American Games, due to a dispute between FIBA and Panam Sports. ^{[16] [17]}

Current Pan American Games program

The following sports (or disciplines of a sport) make up the current Pan American Games official program and are listed alphabetically according to the name used by PASO. The figures in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport contested at the respective Games; a bullet (•) denotes that the sport/discipline was scheduled to be competed, but was dropped due to a lack of entries.

Nine of the 39 sports (Aquatics, Basketball, Canoeing, Cycling, Football, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Equestrian and Wrestling) consist of multiple disciplines. Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same heading:

For equestrian and wrestling, the figures in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport, and not for each discipline separately.

The following sports have been contested at the Pan American Games: ^[18]

Sport (Discipline)		Body	51	55	59	63	67	71	75	79	83	87	91	95	99	03	07	11	15	19	23	27
Artistic swimming		WAquatics		3		3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Diving			4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	6	4	8	8	8	8	10	10	X
Marathon swimming																	2	2	2	2	2	X
Swimming			21	21	21	21	30	30	30	30	30	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	34	36	X
Water polo			1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Basketball		FIBA	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
3x3 basketball																				2	2
Canoe/kayak (sprint)		ICF										12	13	13	12	12	12	12	13	12	10	X
Canoe/kayak (slalom)																	•	•	5	6	6	X
Figure skating		WSkate								3		4	6	6	4	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Speed skating										12		12	13	23	6	4	4	6	6	6	8	X
Skateboarding																					4	X
Baseball		WBSC	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	X
Softball										2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	2	1	X
BMX freestyle		UCI																		2	2	X
BMX racing																	2	2	2	2	2	X
Mountain biking														2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Road cycling			3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	X
Track cycling			5	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	7	7	8	12	12	10	10	10	12	12	X
Artistic		FIG	8	12	18	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	X
Rhythmic												5	7	7	2	6	8	8	8	8	8	X
Trampoline																	2	2	2	2	4	X
Volleyball (beach)		FIVB													2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Volleyball (indoor)				2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Dressage		FEI	6	5	6	6	6	6	6	4	4	6	4	6	6	4	6	6	6	6	6	X
Eventing
Jumping
Freestyle		UWW	8	8	8	8	8	10	20	20	20	20	20	20	16	18	18	18	18	18	18	X
Greco-Roman
Archery		WArchery								4	12	4	12	12	4	4	4	4	4	8	10	X
Athletics		WAthletics	33	29	32	33	35	37	37	39	40	48	43	44	47	46	47	47	47	48	48	X
Badminton		BWF												5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	X
Basque pelota		FIPV												12		6		10		10	8	X
Boxing		WB	8	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	11	11	13	13	15	13	X
Cricket		ICC																				X
Fencing		FIE	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	12	12	12	12	X
Field hockey		FIH					1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Football		FIFA	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Golf		IGF																	3	3	2	X
Handball		IHF										2	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	X
Judo		IJF				4	6		6	8	16	16	18	18	14	14	14	14	14	14	15	X
Karate		WKF												10	11	9	9	10	10	14	12	X
Modern pentathlon		UIPM	2	2	2	2						1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	5	5	X
Rowing		WRowing	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	10	15	20	21	14	14	13	14	14	14	13	X
Rugby sevens		WRugby																1	2	2	2	X
Sailing		WSailing	2		7	6	4	3	4	5	8	6	9	11	10	8	9	9	10	10	13	X
Shooting		ISSF	14	16	21	12	10	10	14	14	32	22	34	36	15	17	15	15	15	15	15	X
Sport climbing		IFSC																			4	X
Squash		WSquash												4	4	4	4	6	6	7	7	X
Surfing		ISA																		8	8	X
Table tennis		ITTF								7	7	7	7	7	6	6	4	4	4	7	7	X
Taekwondo		WT										8	8	16	8	8	8	8	8	12	11	X
Tennis		ITF	5	5	5	5	5		5	5	5	5	6	6	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	X
Triathlon		WTriathlon												2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	X
Water skiing		IWWF												6	6	6	7	9	9	10	10	X
Weightlifting		IWF	5	7	7	7	7	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	15	15	15	15	15	14	10	X
Total events			140	146	166	160	169	164	190	249	249	296	331	408	330	338	331	361	364	421	417	???

Discontinued sports

The following sports were previously part of the Pan American Games program as official sports, but are no longer on the current program.

Summer sports

Sport		Body	51	55	59	63	67	71	75	79	83	87	91	95	99	03	07	11	15	19	23	27
Inline hockey		WSkate													1	1
Roller hockey										1		1	1	1
Breaking		WDSF																			2
Bodybuilding		IFBB																		2
Bowling		WTBA									Demo [19]		4	8	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Futsal		FIFA															1
Polo		FIP	1
Racquetball		IRF												6	4	4		6	6	6	7
Sambo		FIAS									20
Total events			1							1	20	1	5	15	9	9	5	10	10	12	13

Winter sports

Sport		Body	90
Alpine skiing		FIS	6
Total events			6

Related article

• Olympic sports

References

1. "About the Games". Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games. Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
2. "Sports Program". COPAG. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
3. Pan American Canoe Slalom Championships - 2011 ICF Ranking Event ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. "Olympic Sports, Disciplines & Events". HickokSports.com. February 4, 2005. Archived from the original on April 18, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
5. Butler, Nick (17 November 2016). "Bodybuilding added to Lima 2019 programme as agreement signed for event to be shown outside Americas". Insidethegames.biz. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
6. "Qualification System manual" (PDF). www.panamsports.org/. Pan American Sports Organization. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
7. Futsal, karate and bowling among sports included in 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio
8. "2015 Pan Am Games to include women's baseball". baseball.ca/. Baseball Canada. February 11, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
9. "Golf & rugby voted into Olympics". BBC. October 9, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
10. Wilson, Stephen (August 13, 2009). "Golf, rugby backed by IOC board for 2016 Games". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
11. "Rugby Included in 2011 Pan American Games". Bahamas Rugby. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
12. "ISA Welcomes the Addition of Surfing to the 2019 Pan American Games Sports Programme". International Surfing Association. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
13. Butler, Nick (7 July 2015). "Surfing added to Lima 2019 Pan American Games programme". Insidethegames.biz. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
14. Butler, Nick (17 November 2016). "Bodybuilding added to Lima 2019 programme as agreement signed for event to be shown outside Americas". Insidethegames.biz. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
15. "Panam Sports Defines 36 Sports for Lima 2027". www.panamsports.org. Panam Sports. 19 June 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
16. Perelman, Rich (19 June 2025). "PANORAMA: Pan Am Games 2027 to be 36 sports, but no basketball! Grand Slam Track athletes say they haven't been paid, but not worried yet". www.thesportsexaminer.com/. The Sports Examiner. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
17. Hernández, Sara Del Valle (19 June 2025). "El baloncesto queda fuera del programa de los Juegos Panamericanos de Lima 2027" [Basketball is excluded from the Lima 2027 Pan American Games program.]. El Nuevo Día . Ponce, Puerto Rico: GFR Media. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
18. Pan American Games events Archived 2011-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
19. Grasso, John; Hartman, Eric R. (2014). Historical Dictionary of Bowling. Lanhan, MD USA: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 441. ISBN   978-0-8108-8021-4. In 1951 the Pan American Games, a quadrennial multiple sports competition for Western Hemisphere countries, was inaugurated. Tenpin bowling was added to the official program in 1991. In 1983 it was contested as a demonstration sport.