Guadalajara 2011

The Pan American Games, which began in Buenos Aires in 1951, will enter its 16th incarnation in Mexico in 2011. It is the highest-level sporting competition held exclusively for countries in North and South America, and all those in between. It runs October 14 to 30 in Guadalajara, nine months prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Canada may send its largest athlete delegation ever to these Games, where 36 sports will be contested and 42 nations set to compete. These include all Olympic sports, as well as several current Pan Am-only sports: baseball, basque pelota, bowling, karate, racquetball, roller skating, rugby, softball, squash, and water-ski. In addition, these Games will serve as a vital tune-up for London 2012, with 15 sports having either direct or indirect Olympic qualification implications.

While Canada does not set a medal target for Pan Am Games, it traditionally finishes top three in total medals. In 2007, Canada placed third with 138 total medals. Canada sits third in the overall historical Pan Am Games standings with 1,577 total medals, behind only Cuba and the United States.

While the Canadian team will not be finalized until late summer of 2011, the number of athletes is anticipated to be more than the 470 that competed in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. That represented the second-largest athlete delegation in Canada’s history.

Canada will be led by Chef de Mission Jacques Cardyn, who captured gold in fencing at the 1983 Pan American Games. He will be joined by Assistant Chef de Mission Curt Harnett, one of Canada’s best-ever cyclists who won two medals at the Pan American Games.

For more information, please visit http://www.guadalajara2011.org.mx/eng/01_inicio/index.asp.