1951 Pan American Games

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Poster for the 1951 Pan American Games
Poster for the 1951 Pan American Games

The Pan American Games originated in 1932. At the Games of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles, United States, officials representing the National Olympic Committees of the Americas discussed the staging of an Olympic-style regional athletic competition for the athletes of the Americas.

During the Pan American Exposition at Dallas in 1937, a limited sports program was staged. These included Athletics, Boxing, and Wrestling among others. This program was considered a success and a meeting of Olympic officials from the Americas was held.

At the Pan American Sports Conference held in 1940, It was decided to hold the 1st Pan American Games at Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1942. The Pan American Sports Committee was formed to govern the games. Avery Brundage, President of the USOC and Vice-President of the IOC, was elected as the first President. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought much of the Americas into World War II, thus forcing the cancellation of the 1942 games.

A second conference was held in 1948. Avery Brundage was re-elected as the President of the PASC. It was decided that Buenos Aires would still host the 1st Pan American Games, this time in 1951.

[edit] Medal Table

Host country in bold.

 Rank  Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Flag of Argentina Argentina 68 44 38 150
2 Flag of the United States United States 44 33 18 95
3 Flag of Chile Chile 9 20 12 41
4 Flag of Cuba Cuba 9 9 10 28
5 Flag of Brazil Brazil 5 15 12 32
6 Flag of Mexico Mexico 4 9 27 40
6 Flag of Peru Peru 2 5 7 14
8 Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago 1 3 0 4
9 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador 1 0 1 2
10 Flag of Colombia Colombia 1 0 0 1
11 Flag of Venezuela Venezuela 0 1 1 2
12 Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 0 1 0 1
13 Flag of Jamaica Jamaica 0 0 3 3
14 Flag of Panama Panama 0 0 2 2
Flag of Paraguay Paraguay 0 0 2 2
14 Flag of Guatemala Guatemala 0 0 2 2
Flag of Haiti Haiti 0 0 1 1

[edit] Sports

  • Shooting
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Water Polo
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling