1979 Pan American Games

The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: Juegos Panamericanos de 1979), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. The 1980 documentary film A Step Away showcased a number of athletes competing in the Games.

VIII Pan American Games

Host city	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nations	34
Athletes	Beep
Events	250 in 24 sports
Opening	July 1
Closing	July 15
Opened by	Governor Carlos Romero Barceló
Stadium	Hiram Bithorn Stadium
← 1975 Mexico City 1983 Caracas →

Bidding process

On May 31, 1973, San Juan was the only candidate city to host the games and was selected to host the VIII Pan American Games by PASO at its general assembly in Santiago, Chile.[1][2][3]

The Games

Sports

Archery () Athletics () Baseball () Basketball () Boxing () Cycling () Diving () Equestrian () Fencing ()

Field hockey () Football () Gymnastics () Judo () Roller skating () Rowing () Sailing () Shooting ()

Softball () Swimming () Synchronized swimming () Table tennis () Tennis () Volleyball () Weightlifting () Wrestling ()

Medal count

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States (USA)	126	95	45	266
2	Cuba (CUB)	64	47	34	145
3	Canada (CAN)	24	43	71	138
4	Argentina (ARG)	12	7	17	36
5	Brazil (BRA)	9	13	17	39
Totals (5 nations)		235	205	184	624

Note

^ The medal count for Canada is disputed.

Mascot

Coqui, the first Pan American Games mascot.

The 1979 Games were the first one to feature a mascot, which was a running frog holding a torch named Coqui.[4]

References

1. "Belle Époque: San Juan 1979". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). 4 July 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
2. "Los VIII Juegos Panamericanos de San Juan son un evento que no se olvida" [The VIII Pan-American Games of San Juan is an event that is not forgotten]. Primera Hora (in Spanish). 30 June 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
3. "Puerto Rico hará Panamericanos" [Puerto Rico has Panamerican]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile. Associated Press. 1 June 1973. p. 1-C. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
4. "PAN AMERICAN GAMES SAN JUAN 1979 - MEDALS TABLE PAN AM 1979 - Pan American Games - San Juan Puerto Rico 1979". Quadrodemedalhas.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.