Six thousand athletes to compete in the 2011 Pan-American Games
by Manuel Calderon de la Barca
From October 14th-30th, the Pan-American games will welcome 42 countries´ best athletes to Mexico for exciting competitions in 36 disciplines, each hoping to take home a gold medal; Puerto Vallarta will host the competitions in beach volleyball, sailing, open-water swimming and triathlon.
The Pan-American games are well underway and the air is buzzing with good sportsmanship in the capital city of Jalisco and the sub-host city of Puerto Vallarta. The Organizing Committee of the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara (COPAG) recently reported that over half a million tickets have been sold for matches in various disciplines to be held from October 14th-30th, affirming the people of Jalisco’s high expectations for this sporting event.
42 countries are competing for medals in 36 disciplines, 15 of which will be qualifying rounds for the London Olympic Games in 2012, guaranteeing the quality of the competitions and the presence of many important figures in swimming, basketball and baseball.
Operations and Sports Director of the COPAG Ivar Sisniega, revealed that the official number of athletes enrolled in the Pan-American Games, from which Mexico hopes to win 24 gold medals, will be 5,996 athletes. Mexico is the largest delegation, with 644 athletes, followed by the United States with 620, Brazil with 519, Canada with 493, Cuba with 442 and Venezuela with 387.
“After seeing the registers and how many athletes will be attending, the conclusion is that the Pan-American Games are stronger than ever”, stated the Mexican official.
The inauguration of the Pan-American games took place in the Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara on October 14th, with a spectacular celebration that promises to be unforgettable celebration and it was a spectacular, unforgettable celebration. Airborne acrobatics, multicolored dance presentations, the biggest names on the Latin Music scene, an extraordinary pyrotechnics display and even Mexican Airforce planes crossed the sky during an unprecedented show in Mexico, on par with the opening ceremony of any of the Olympic games to date according to the international press.
Well-known athletes carried the Pan-American torch to the stadium and passed it to the diver with the most international medals in the history of Mexico, Paola Espinosa, to light the cauldron that will keep the flame burning bright during the games.
The city of Puerto Vallarta is hosting the beach volleyball, sailing, open-water swimming and triathlon competitions. Competitions will also be held in Lagos de Moreno, Ciudad Guzman, Tapalpa and other parts of the state of Jalisco.