Host | Chicago, United States |
---|---|
Nations | 25 |
Athletes | 2,263 |
Events | 166 in 18 sports |
Opening | August 27 |
Closing | September 7 |
Opened by | Milton S. Eisenhower [1] |
Main venue | Soldier Field |
The 1959 Pan American Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959.
One city initially submitted a bid to host the 1959 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), along with three cities that withdrew their bids. On March 11, 1955, at the IV Pan American Congress in Mexico City, PASO selected Cleveland unanimously to host the III Pan American Games. [2] [3] [4]
On April 15, 1957, Cleveland asked PASO to be relieved of their assignment as the host city. Subsequently, both Guatemala City and Rio de Janeiro informed PASO that they would not be able to host the games either. Two cities came forward as candidates host the games, Chicago and São Paulo, and on August 3, 1957, Chicago was selected over São Paulo by a vote of 13 to 6. [2] [5]
Once Chicago took over the game following Cleveland's withdrawal, there were 18 months left to organize the games. The games were held on-schedule nonetheless. The games were the first Pan American Games to be held in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. The previous two editions were held in March. [5]
The games opened on August 27, 1959, in sunny 90 °F (32 °C) heat before 40,000 people in Chicago, Illinois, United States at Soldier Field.
* Host nation (United States)
Rank | NATION | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States* | 121 | 75 | 56 | 252 |
2 | Argentina | 9 | 22 | 12 | 43 |
3 | Brazil | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 |
4 | Canada | 6 | 20 | 27 | 53 |
5 | Mexico | 6 | 10 | 15 | 31 |
6 | Chile | 5 | 2 | 6 | 13 |
7 | British West Indies | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 |
8 | Cuba | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
9 | Bahamas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
10 | Venezuela | 1 | 7 | 7 | 15 |
11 | Uruguay | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
12 | Panama | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
13 | Peru | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
14 | Puerto Rico | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
15 | Ecuador | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
16 | Haiti | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
17 | British Guiana | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
18 | Guatemala | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Netherlands Antilles | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (19 entries) | 163 | 165 | 164 | 492 |
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 1955 Pan American Games opened on March 12, 1955, in the University Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico, in front of a capacity crowd of 100,000 spectators.
The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil.
The 1967 Pan American Games were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967.
The 1971 Pan American Games were held in Cali, Colombia, from July 30 to August 13, 1971. A total of 2,935 athletes from 32 countries participated in seventeen sports.
The 1975 Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games were held there. It was the third major sporting event held in the Mexican capital in seven years, after the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
The 1979 Pan American Games, officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. Volleyball and some baseball matches were held in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The 1980 documentary film A Step Away showcased a number of athletes competing in the Games.
The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas competed in 297 events in 30 sports, earning 1,015 medals. Events were held at 23 venues in and around Indianapolis. The official mascot for the games was Amigo, a green parrot.
The 1991 Pan American Games were held in Havana, Cuba from August 2 to August 18, 1991. There were 4,519 athletes from 39 countries of the PASO community, with events in 33 different sports. The main stadium was the Estadio Panamericano, a multi-use stadium in Havana that holds 50,000 people.
The 1995 Pan American Games were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from March 12 to March 26, 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games' first return to the country that hosted the first Games, in 1951.
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, 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 begun. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. A total of 330 medal events in 34 sports and 42 disciplines.
The 2003 Pan American Games 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, 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 was an Olympic qualification for 13 International Federations (IFs).
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, 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 have ended.
The 2019 Pan American Games, officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Peru 2019 Pan-Am Games or Peru 2019, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, were 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.
Water polo was contested for men only at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, United States. It was played at the Portage Park pool.
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. This was the most successful Pan American Games for Brazil with 66 gold medals and for Mexico with 52 gold medals.
Mexico competed in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019.
The 2021 Junior Pan American Games was an international multi-sports event for athletes aged 17 to 22 in the Americas, organized by Panam Sports held in Cali and Valle, Colombia between November 25 to December 5, 2021.
One city initially submitted a bid to host the 1959 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), along with three cities that withdrew their bids. On March 11, 1955, at the IV Pan American Congress in Mexico City, PASO selected Cleveland unanimously to host the III Pan American Games.