1979 Pan American Games

The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: Juegos Panamericanos de 1979), 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. The 1980 documentary film A Step Away showcased a number of athletes competing in the Games.

VIII Pan American Games
HostSan Juan, Puerto Rico
Nations34
Athletes3,700
Events250 in 24 sports
OpeningJuly 1
ClosingJuly 15
Opened byGovernor Carlos Romero Barceló
Cauldron lighterCynthia Guadalupe
Main venueHiram Bithorn Stadium

Bidding process
Main article: Bids for the 1979 Pan American Games

On May 31, 1973, San Juan was the only candidate city to be a finalist to host the games and thus, San Juan was then selected to host the VIII Pan American Games by PASO at its general assembly in Santiago, Chile.[1][2][3]

The Games

Sports

Medal count
For a more comprehensive list, see 1979 Pan American Games medal table.
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States1269545266
2 Cuba644734145
3 Canada244371138
4 Argentina1271736
5 Brazil9131739
Totals (5 entries)235205184624
Note

^ The medal count for Canada is disputed.

Mascot
Coqui, the first Pan American Games mascot

The 1979 Games were the first one to feature a mascot, which was a running frog holding a torch named Coqui.[4]

References
  1. "Belle Époque: San Juan 1979". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). July 4, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  2. "Los VIII Juegos Panamericanos de San Juan son un evento que no se olvida" [The VIII Pan-American Games of San Juan is an event that is not forgotten]. Primera Hora (in Spanish). June 30, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  3. "Puerto Rico hará Panamericanos" [Puerto Rico has Panamerican]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile. Associated Press. June 1, 1973. p. 1-C. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  4. "PAN AMERICAN GAMES SAN JUAN 1979 - MEDALS TABLE PAN AM 1979 - Pan American Games - San Juan Puerto Rico 1979". Quadrodemedalhas.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.