Pan American Games

Fencing (photo by F. Scott Grant/Canadian Sport Images).

Athlete taking aim at the Canada Summer Games (Corel Professional Photos).

Sailing (Corel Professional Photos).

The Pan American (Pan Am) Games are a multi-sport event for the nations of the Western Hemisphere, held every four years. They are conducted in a similar manner to the Olympic Summer Games and held one year prior to them. The Games are an opportunity for athletes to compete at the international level, particularly in preparation for the Olympic Summer Games. They are the third largest international multi-sport Games, after only the Olympics and the Asian Games. (Since 1999, the Pan Am Games have been followed by the Parapan American Games.)

The Games

Athletes from 41 countries in the Americas and the Caribbean compete in the Games, which are governed by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). Participating countries must have an established National Olympic Committee that is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and affiliated with PASO.

A comparatively recent event, the first Pan Am Games were held at Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 1951, when 19 nations were officially represented in 18 sports (Canada did not officially compete in the first Games). Since then they have been celebrated in nine others countries across the Americas and the Caribbean.

Year	Location
1951	Buenos Aires, Argentina
1955	Mexico City, Mexico
1959	Chicago, Illinois, USA
1963	São Paulo, Brazil
1967	Winnipeg, Manitoba
1971	Cali, Colombia
1975	Mexico City, Mexico
1979	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983	Caracas, Venezuela
1987	Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1991	Havana, Cuba
1995	Mar del Plata, Argentina
1999	Winnipeg, Manitoba
2003	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011	Guadalajara, Mexico
2015	Toronto, Ontario

In 1990, Las Leñas in Argentina hosted the first (and only) Winter Pan Am Games. There was little interest among member countries in the winter version of the Games and the concept was abandoned.

Sports

The Pan Am Games include all sports, events and disciplines that will be on the official programme of the next Olympic Summer Games (which follow a year later). They may also include a number of non-Olympic sports recognized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO).

Sports at the 2015 Pan Am Games
Aquatics (Diving, Swimming)	Archery	Athletics
Badminton	Baseball and Softball	Basketball
Bowling	Boxing	Canoe/Kayak
Cycling	Equestrian	Fencing
Field Hockey	Football (Soccer)	Golf
Gymnastics	Handball	Judo
Karate	Modern Pentathlon	Racquetball
Roller Sports	Rowing	Rugby Sevens
Sailing	Shooting	Squash
Table Tennis	Taekwondo	Tennis
Triathlon	Volleyball	Water Polo
Waterski/Wakeboard	Weightlifting	Wrestling

Canada at the Games

Canada did not officially compete in the 1951 Games (although a small group of Canadian swimmers did give a demonstration in synchronized swimming), but it has been a consistent and successful competitor ever since, with Canadian athletes providing many world-class performances in a variety of sports.

The fifth Pan Am Games, held at Winnipeg, proved a fitting celebration for Canada's Centennial Year (1967), when 2,451 athletes from 29 countries participated in 29 sports. By 1999, when Winnipeg again hosted the Games, there were over 40 Western Hemisphere countries in attendance. It was only the second time that Canada had hosted the event. At the 1999 Games, Canadians won 196 medals in total (64 gold medals, 52 silver and 80 bronze), an increase of 19 medals over the 1995 Games in Mar del Plata.

The 2003 Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo were not as successful for the Canadian team; out of a total of 128 medals, they won 29 gold, 57 silver and 42 bronze. At the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, Canada won a total of 137 medals (39 gold, 43 silver, 55 bronze), exceeding its total of 128 medals won in 2003. At Guadalajara in 2011, Canadian athletes won 30 gold, 40 silver and 49 bronze for a total of 119 medals. Canada is currently ranked third behind the United States and Cuba for all-time medal wins.

Canadian Medals and Ranking
Year	Host	Rank	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1955	Mexico City	5th	4	4	3	11
1959	Chicago	5th	5	19	24	48
1963	São Paulo	3rd	10	27	25	62
1967	Winnipeg	2nd	12	37	43	92
1971	Cali	3rd	19	20	42	81
1975	Mexico City	3rd	18	35	38	91
1979	San Juan	3rd	24	43	70	137
1983	Caracas	3rd	22	42	55	119
1987	Indianapolis	3rd	30	57	75	162
1991	Havana	3rd	22	46	59	127
1995	Mar del Plata	3rd	47	61	69	177
1999	Winnipeg	3rd	64	52	80	196
2003	Santo Domingo	3rd	29	57	42	128
2007	Rio de Janeiro	4th	39	44	55	138
2011	Guadalajara	5th	30	40	49	119
2015	Toronto	2nd	78	69	70	217