1959 Pan American Games

Summary

The 1959 Pan American Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959.

III Pan American Games
Poster of the 1959 Pan American Games.
HostChicago, United States
Nations25
Athletes2,263
Events166 in 18 sports
OpeningAugust 27
ClosingSeptember 7
Opened byMilton S. Eisenhower[1]
Main venueSoldier Field

Host city selection edit

One city initially submitted a bid to host the 1959 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), along with three cities that withdrew their bids. On March 11, 1955, at the IV Pan American Congress in Mexico City, PASO selected Cleveland unanimously to host the III Pan American Games.[2][3][4]

On April 15, 1957, Cleveland asked PASO to be relieved of their assignment as the host city. Subsequently, both Guatemala City and Rio de Janeiro informed PASO that they would not be able to host the games either. Two cities came forward as candidates host the games, Chicago and São Paulo, and on August 3, 1957, Chicago was selected over São Paulo by a vote of 13 to 6.[2][5]

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 during the Northern Hemisphere summer. The previous two editions were held in March.[5]

In the months following the awarding of the Games to Chicago, PASO leadership became seriously concerned that Chicago's preparations for the event were insufficient. Particularly, they felt that the event's director, Colonel Jack Reilly, was treating the Games as an ordinary Chicago event rather than an international competition on par with the Olympics. In the summer of 1958, PASO honorary president Avery Brundage privately said that the Chicago organizers "haven't the faintest idea of the magnitude of the task they have assumed" and predicted that the Games would be "the most dismal fiasco in the history of international sport". Publicly, he warned that "unless greater effort is put forth to prepare for the 1959 Pan American Games, both the city and the nation may be disgraced in the eyes of the world". PASO considered cancelling the Games entirely before Chicago's organizing committee was reorganized and Reilly was replaced.[6]

The Games edit

 
Alternative poster in Spanish

The Games opened on August 27, 1959, in sunny 90 °F (32 °C) heat before 40,000 people at Soldier Field. The opening ceremony was preceded by a monthlong torch relay from Mexico City to Chicago. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was expected to attend the opening ceremony, but he canceled his appearance in favor of a diplomatic trip to Europe. Eisenhower's brother Milton attended the ceremony in his place.[1][7]

The event was marred by numerous organizational failures and poor-quality facilities. For some sports, such as shooting, no practice facilities were provided at all.[8] Manuel Gonzalez Guerra, who later became president of the Cuban Olympic Committee, referred to the 1959 Games as "the worst ever,"[7] and his comments were in line with the negative perceptions of many other Latin Americans who traveled to Chicago for the Games.[6]

Male athletes were housed in dormitories at the University of Chicago, the Ferry Hall School, and North Central College, while female athletes stayed at the Shoreland Hotel.[7] On September 7, hours before the closing ceremony, Brazilian rower Ronaldo Duncan Arantes was found dead of bullet wounds at North Central College. Arantes' brother Rômulo, a fellow athlete at the Games, reported that Ronaldo had brought money to Chicago with him to purchase firearms.[9] No one was ever charged in Arantes' death.[6]

Medal table edit

  *   Host nation (United States)

RankNATIONGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  United States*1217556252
2  Argentina9221243
3  Brazil88622
4  Canada6202753
5  Mexico6101531
6  Chile52613
7  British West Indies24713
8  Cuba24511
9  Bahamas2002
10  Venezuela17715
11  Uruguay1348
12  Panama0448
13  Peru0257
14  Puerto Rico0246
15  Ecuador0112
16  Haiti0101
17  British Guiana0033
18  Guatemala0011
  Netherlands Antilles0011
Totals (19 entries)163165164492

Sports and Venues edit

 
Opening ceremonies at Soldier Field. Wrestler Mario Tovar González can be seen serving as Mexico's flag bearer.
 
Gymnasium at Navy Pier, site of the Gymnastics competition

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Ike's Brother Opens 1959 Pan-Am Games", Associated Press, via The Spokesman-Review, August 28, 1959, page 15.
  2. ^ a b Emery, Curtis Ray (1964). The History of the Pan American Games (Dissertation). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  3. ^ "Cleveland Will Host 1959 Pan Am Games". Cedar Rapids Gazette. Mexico City, Mexico. AP. March 12, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. ^ "Cleveland Designada Sede para los Juegos Panamericanos del 59" [Cleveland Designated Headquarters for the Pan American Games of 59]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. UP. March 12, 1955. p. 17. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Hersh, Phil (July 19, 1987). "Chicago-Style Pan Am Games". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c MacAloon, John. "Historical Erasure and Cold War Inter-American Relations: The Chicago 1959 Pan-American Games", Historicizing the Pan-American Games, Routledge, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Hersh, Phil. "Torch relay set the stage for '59 Pan American Games", Chicago Tribune News Service, via McAllen Monitor, July 26, 1987, page 7B.
  8. ^ Gustkey, Earl. "PAN AM GAMES LEGACY: 1959 : It’s Not Exactly Peace and Harmony", Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1987, Web, retrieved January 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Rowing Ace Dead; Foul Play Hinted", Associated Press, via The Spokesman-Review, September 8, 1959, front page.
  10. ^ Ford, Liam T. A. (October 1, 2009). Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226257068.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b Lyke, Bill (August 29, 1959). "Drive Out to the Pan-Am Games!". Chicago Tribune. pp. B1. ProQuest 182386533.
  14. ^ "Chicago Historic Velodromes & 6-day venues". Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  15. ^ "05/09/1959 – Brasil 1 x 1 Argentina". jogosdaselecaobrasileira.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  16. ^ "29/08/1959 – Brasil 4 x 2 Costa Rica". jogosdaselecaobrasileira.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  17. ^ 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.

External links edit

  • Chicago 1959 - III Pan American Games - Official Report at PanamSports.org
  • Chicago 1959 - III Pan American Games - Official Report (Part 2) at PanamSports.org
Preceded by III Pan American Games
Chicago

(1959)
Succeeded by