1959 Pan American Games source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_Pan_American_Games

III Pan American Games
Pan am 1959.jpg
Official logo of the
Chicago 1959 Pan American Games.
Host city Chicago
Country United States
Nations participating 25
Athletes participating 2,263
Events 166 in 18 sports
Opening ceremony August 27
Closing ceremony September 7
Officially opened by Milton S. Eisenhower[1]
Main venue Soldier Field
<  1955 Mexico City 1963 São Paulo  >
Alternative Logo

The 3rd Pan American Games were held in Chicago August 28 – September 7, 1959.

Background[edit]

The games were originally awarded to Cleveland. Cleveland withdrew from hosting the games due to financial reasons. The original backup-host, Guatemala, withdrew even before Cleveland. São Paulo, Brazil and Chicago competed to replace Cleveland as the host of the Pan American Games. Chicago defeated São Paulo 13-6 in the Pan American Games Committee vote held August 3, 1957. São Paulo later would go on to host the following edition.[2]

Organization[edit]

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.[2]

The Games[edit]

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.

Medal count[edit]

For a more comprehensive list, see 1959 Pan American Games medal table.
1 Host nation

To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the icon next to the column title.

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  United States (USA) 1 a 115/122 69/73 52/54 236/249
2  Argentina (ARG) a 9 19/22 11/12 39/43
3  Brazil (BRA) 8 8 6 22
4  Mexico (MEX) a 6 11 12/13 29/30
5  Canada (CAN) a 5/7 19/21 24/28 48/56

Note ^ The medal counts for the United States, Argentina, Mexico and Canada are disputed.

Sports and Venues[edit]

Opening ceremonies at Soldier Field. Wrestler Mario Tovar González can be seen serving as Mexico's flag bearer.

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search
  2. ^ a b Gustkey, Earl (July 19, 1987). "A Chicago-style Pan Am Games". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2014. 
  3. ^ Ford, Liam T.A. Ford (October 1, 2009). Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 
  4. ^ a b c d Dretske, Diana (December 8, 2008). "'59 Pan Am games brought Olympic-level competition to Lake Co.". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Gustkey, Earl (August 5, 1987). "PAN AM GAMES LEGACY: 1959 : It's Not Exactly Peace and Harmony". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2014. 
  6. ^ Lyke, Bill (August 29, 1959). "Drive Out to the Pan-Am Games!". Chicago Tribune. pp. B1. Retrieved August 14, 2009. [dead link]
  7. ^ "Chicago Historic Velodromes & 6-day venues". Retrieved July 5, 2014. 
  8. ^ "05/09/1959 – Brasil 1 x 1 Argentina". jogosdaselecaobrasileira.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017. 
  9. ^ "29/08/1959 – Brasil 4 x 2 Costa Rica". jogosdaselecaobrasileira.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017. 
  10. ^ Pogorzelksi, Daniel; Maloof, John (2008). Portage Park. Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH, San Francisco CA: Arcadia Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7385-5229-3.