1979 Pan American Games

The 1979 Pan American Games, officially the VIII Pan American Games (Spanish: VIII Juegos Panamericanos) and commonly known as San Juan 1979, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization (PASO), and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. Volleyball and some baseball matches were held in Caguas, Puerto Rico.^[1][2] The 1980 documentary film A Step Away showcased a number of athletes competing in the Games.

VIII Pan American Games

Host	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nations	34
Athletes	3,700
Events	250 in 24 sports
Opening	July 1
Closing	July 15
Opened by	Governor Carlos Romero Barceló
Cauldron lighter	Cynthia Guadalupe
Main venue	Hiram Bithorn Stadium
← 1975 Mexico City 1983 Caracas →

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 1979 Pan American Games

On May 31, 1973, San Juan was the only candidate city to be a finalist to host the games and thus, San Juan was then selected to host the VIII Pan American Games by PASO at its general assembly in Santiago, Chile.^[3][4][5]

The Games

Sports

•  Archery (details)
•  Athletics (details)
•  Baseball (details)
•  Basketball (details)
•  Boxing (details)
•  Cycling (details)
•  Diving (details)
•  Equestrian (details)
•  Fencing (details)
•  Field hockey (details)
•  Football (details)
•  Gymnastics (details)
•  Judo (details)
•  Roller sports (details)
•  Rowing (details)
•  Sailing (details)
•  Shooting (details)
•  Softball (details)
•  Swimming (details)
•  Synchronized swimming (details)
•  Table tennis (details)
•  Tennis (details)
•  Volleyball (details)
•  Weightlifting (details)
•  Wrestling (details)

Medal count

For a more comprehensive list, see 1979 Pan American Games medal table.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	126	95	45	266
2	Cuba	64	47	34	145
3	Canada	24	43	71	138
4	Argentina	12	7	17	36
5	Brazil	9	13	17	39
Totals (5 entries)		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.^[6]