1995 Pan American Games

XII Pan American Games
HostMar del Plata, Argentina
Nations42
Athletes5,144
Events309 in 34 sports
OpeningMarch 12
ClosingMarch 26
Opened byPresident Carlos Menem
Cauldron lighterNora Vega
Main venueEstadio José María Minella

The 1995 Pan American Games, officially known as the XII Pan American Games (Spanish: XII Juegos Panamericanos) and commonly known as Mar del Plata 1995, were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from 12 to 26 March 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games' first return to the country that hosted the first Games, in 1951.

Overview

The seaside resort city of Mar del Plata hosted the XII Pan American Games. The city of 600,000 is located 400 km south of Buenos Aires. Welcoming 5,144 athletes from 42 countries of PASO community, events were held in 34 different sports. The Games were held early by Northern Hemisphere standards, but at the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Organizers spread the 1995 games throughout Argentina, including Buenos Aires, Parana, and Mar del Plata.[1]

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 1995 Pan American Games

Only Mar del Plata submitted a bid to host the 1995 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan American Sports Organization (OPEPA). Honoring an agreement that was made after Mar del Plata withdrew their bid for the 1991 Pan American Games, ODEPA selected Mar del Plata as the host city for the 1995 games at their General Assembly in Havana, Cuba in October 1989.[2]

Venues

Mar del Plata

Buenos Aires

Lobi, mascot of the games

The mascot, Lobi, is a sea lion, an animal commonly found in the waters of Mar de Plata. He stands for the host city and is displayed with welcoming open arms. The words in the poster are constructed to imply a launching point or podium.[4]

Medal count

For a more comprehensive list, see 1995 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 a 170 145 110 425
2  Cuba 112 66 60 238
3  Canada 47 61 69 177
4  Argentina 1 40 45 74 159
5  Mexico 23 20 37 80
Note

^ The medal count for the United States is disputed.

Sports

The sports of basque pelota, karate, racquetball, squash, triathlon and water skiing appeared on the schedule for the first time.[5][6][7]

References

  1. ^ Spence, Mike (12 March 1995). "Pan American Games -- As Games Grow, Stature Diminishes". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington, United States. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Juegos Panamericana Mar del Plata 1995" (in Spanish). 1 June 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  3. ^ Erichsen, Elizabeth; Hales, Stan (July 1995). "XII Pan American Games: badminton makes another big step" (PDF). World Badminton. p. 14-15.
  4. ^ LA84 Foundation Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Pappas, Caron (20 April 1993). "Pan-Am Games add water-skiing effective in 1995". Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida, USA. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  6. ^ Rosen, Karen (25 April 1993). "Upstart sports bidding for piece of USOC pie". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  7. ^ Shipley, Dean (17 July 1991). "Dayton man whistles way to top of racquetball official hierarchy". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio, USA. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
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Preceded by XII Pan American Games
Mar del Plata
(1995) 		Succeeded by