1951 Pan American Games

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Poster for the 1951 Pan American Games

The Pan American Games originated in 1932. At the Games of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles, United States, officials representing the National Olympic Committees of the Americas discussed the staging of an Olympic-style regional athletic competition for the athletes of the Americas.

During the Pan American Exposition at Dallas in 1937, a limited sports program was staged. These included Athletics, Boxing, and Wrestling among others. This program was considered a success and a meeting of Olympic officials from the Americas was held.

At the Pan American Sports Conference held in 1940, It was decided to hold the 1st Pan American Games at Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1942. The Pan American Sports Committee was formed to govern the games. Avery Brundage, President of the USOC and Vice-President of the IOC, was elected as the first President. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought much of the Americas into World War II, thus forcing the cancellation of the 1942 games.

A second conference was held in 1948. Avery Brundage was re-elected as the President of the PASC. It was decided that Buenos Aires would still host the 1st Pan American Games, this time in 1951.

Host country in bold.

1951 Pan American Games Medal Count
Pos	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Argentina	68	44	38	150
2	United States	44	33	18	95
3	Chile	9	20	12	41
4	Cuba	9	9	10	28
5	Brazil	5	15	12	32
6	Mexico	4	9	27	40
6	Peru	2	5	7	14
8	Trinidad and Tobago	1	3	0	4
9	Ecuador	1	0	1	2
10	Colombia	1	0	0	1
11	Venezuela	0	1	1	2
12	Costa Rica	0	1	0	1
13	Jamaica	0	0	3	3
14	Panama	0	0	2	2
14	Paraguay	0	0	2	2
16	Guatemala	0	0	1	1
16	Haiti	0	0	1	1