1975 Summary

THE HOST CITY

Santiago, Chile, had originally been awarded the VIIth Pan American Games. Financial difficulties and political turmoil forced the organizers to withdraw. Sao Paulo, Brazil then was awarded the games, but was force to withdraw on Oct. 17, 1974 due to financial problems and a Meningitis outbreak. On Oct. 19, 1974, Mexico City was named host city. PASO members were impressed by the organization of the games in Mexico, on such short notice. So much so, that they elected the President of the Mexican Olympic Committee, Mario Vasquez Rana, as the next PASO President during their meeting in Mexico City.

THE OPENING CEREMONIES

The Games opened on 12 October in Azteca Stadium. The tone of the games was set ominously during the parade of 3146 athletes from 33 nations. The 110,000 spectators booed. They booed the U.S. team. They booed their own President, who was pro-USA in his policies. They cheered, on the other hand, when the Cuban team marched past. President Luis Echeverria opened the games, his remarks nearly drowned out by boos. The Olympic and PASO Flags were raised, Mexican children performed card tricks, and Rodolfo Gomez, a distance runner, lit the Pan American Flame.

THE COMPETITION

Men's Athletics - The absence of the top U.S. stars failed to end the U.S. domination

with the Americans amassing 12 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze. Cuba closed the gap with 4 gold, 7 silver, and 6 bronze. Future Olympic champion Bruce Jenner won the Decathlon. desptie destroying a Mexican newspaper photographer's camera with an errant javelin throw. Brazil;s traditional strength in the jumping led to gold medals in the long and triple jumps. Mike Manley (USA) won his second consecutive steeplechase. No one seemed to know how far American Sam Colson threw the javelin. The on-field officials, electronic results service, and meet officials al announced different distances, all Pan-Am records. The U.S. protested the results of the 29Km walk, after bronze medalist Larry Young was interfered with by Mexican spectators just as he was overtaking the two Mexicans who finished first and second. The appeal was denied. Cuba's Silvio Leonard finished the 100m so out of control, that he crashed into a tunnel and hurt his ankle, breaking the Pan-Am record fir the event. Controversy occurred in the discus, where the U.S. filed an appeal over Cuba's silver medalist Julian Morrinson, whose discus was allegedly illegal. The apeal was denied, although his discus was found to be illegal. Altogether, athletes from 10 nations reached the top of the victory podium, while 9 Pan-Am records were set. The Mexican crowds booed the and whistled the Americans, who responded with "Bronx" cheers.

Women's Athletics - 1971 discus gold medalist Carmen Romero (CUB) won the event again in Mexico. The U.S. won 16 medals, although the competition was getting tougher. Canada garnered 12 medals, and Cuba won 9. 8 world records were set. The 200m was won by Chandra Cheesborough in a photo-finish. A surprise winner was Cuba's Ana Alexander, who won the long jump gold with a Pan-Am record leap after barely qualifying for the final. The most bizarre moment came in the 200m, when officials on the field reversed the gold and silver medals, even though the correct results were displayed on the scoreboard. When a CBS reporter told the athletes about the mistake, both women burst into tears as they exchanged the medals with each other.

Baseball - Weather was a factor with cold, chilly weather prevailing and a driving rainstorm interrupting play. Poor lighting was also a complaint. The U.S. team, after the rain delay, lost to Dominican Republic 5-3, then to Cuba 4-3, ending their gold medal hopes. U.S. outfielder Rick Clopton was nearly ejected from the U.S.-Cuba game for offering his glasses to the Mexican umpire after disagreeing with Efraim Ibarra's ball and strike calls. Cuba (8-0) won easily, followed by the U.S. (6-2), and Venezuela (5-3).

Men's Basketball - Following the seeding controversy in Cali, the round-robin format was restored. The U.S. (9-0) won easily, with Brazil (7-2) second, and Puerto Rico (7-2) third. An ugly incident occurred at the end of Puerto Rico's 89-85 win over Cuba. Cuban basketball commissioner Jose Alvarez attacked the Canadian referee, Allen Rae. U.S. coach Marv Harshamm did little to help the anti-U.S. atmosphere, when he complained about the Americans' 103-62 opening win over Argentina. He felt the U.S. should have won by more than 41 pts.

Women's Basketball - The U.S. (7-0) won, followed by Mexico (6-1) and Cuba (5-2). Defending champion Brazil finished with a dissappointed 4-3 record.

Boxing - The bouts were full of surprises. Perennial contender Mexico won only 1 bronze medal. Cuba won 8 gold medals, while the U.S. boxers, hampered by the high altitude, won 3. Teofilo Stevenson (CUB) won his first Heavyweight gold medal.

Cycling - Chaos reigned at the velodrome, as one controversy after another tried everyone's patience. After a Cuban appeal was upheld in the Scratch Sprint semifinals, American Steve Woznick had had enough. He parked his bike in front of the judges, took out a knife, cut off the tires, threw them aside, and tried to toss the bike into the stands. Not satisfied, he cut up his sweatsuit and stormed off with tears on his face! Incredibly, he later won the gold medal after anonther series of re-runs in the final. The U.S. won the 4000m Team Pursuit with an upset of defending champion Colombia that left the spectators stunned.

Men's Diving - The U.S. dominated the competition with 1 gold, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze. Carlos Giron (MEX) won the 10m Platform gold and the 2m Springboard bronze.

Women's Diving - The U.S. and Canada each won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. 29 years before Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction", Canadian diver Linda Cuthbert was humiliated while describing one of her dives on live national television. The underwater camera caught her swimsuit top breaking, revealing her naked breasts! She had the consolation of winning the bronze medal.

Equestrian - The U.S., after withdrawing from the Cali games, arrived in force in Mexico City. The U.S. won 4 of 6 events. The highlight was a thrilling duel between Mexico and the U.S. in the Prix des Nations, held in front of a crowd of 85,000 in Azteca Stadium prior to the Closing Ceremonies. The U.S. found perfection in the final rounds to win the gold medal. During the Three-Day Event, American Bruce Davidson, who officials mistook for disqualified Canadian Jim Day, was halted in mid-run, but was allowed to continue and won the silver medal after the error was discovered.

Fencing - Cuba edged past the U.S. for the first time, winning 5 gold medals, to the Americans' 2. Martin Lang (USA) upset defending foil champion Eduardo Jons (CUB).

Field Hockey - Argentina won its third consecutive gold medal easily, with Canda second and Mexico third.

Men's Gymnastics - The meet became a showdown between Cuba and the U.S. The U.S. won the team event and 1 individual gold, along with 4 silver and 5 bronze medals. Cuba won 7 gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze (including 2 golds on rings when two Cubans tied). The lone U.S. winner was Peter Kormann on Floor Exercise.

Women's Gymnastics - The U.S. dominated the competition, winning the team gold, and sweeping the medals in all 6 individual events. Ann Carr won 5 gold medals, including the team gold, and a tie with teammate Roxanne Pierce on the Uneven Bars.

Judo - The U.S. won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals. The schedule was disrupted when the competitors' bus brokedown. Light Heavyweight Irwin Cohen was controversally disqualified as he was about to pin Brazil's Campos. A mini-riot occurred after Cuba's Hector Rodriguez was disqualified in a semi-final bout against Canada's Brad Morrow. Armed troops were used to restore order. Cuba later refused the silver medal.

Rowing - The U.S. turned in the best performance with 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal. In the marquee event, the U.S. eights barely edged out the hard charging Cubans for the gold medal.

Shooting - The U.S. continued its traditional dominance, winning 23 of 27 gold medals. Mexico's Olegario Vasquez Rana, the brother of the organizing committee's president, won the air rifle event with new world record. Herschel Anderson (USA) won 5 gold medals, while teammate Margaret Murdock won 3 golds. A comic moment occurred when, after a scoring controversy, someone decided the officials should count all of the bullet holes in the target!

Soccer - The tournament ended in controversy, when the lights at Azteca Stadium failed in the fifth minute of the second overtime with Brazil and Mexico tied 1-1. The referee waited a half-hour, then called off the game. The teams were declared co-champions and awarded gold medals. FIFA later decided to replay the game, a decision that was quickly scrapped amid howls of protest.

Men's Swimming - The U.S. swam away from the competition winning 26 of 45 medals, including 14 of 15 golds. The lone exception was the 200m Freestyle, on by Jorge Delgado (ECU) in an upset of U.S. star Rick DeMont.

Women's Swimming - Without its top swimmers, the U.S. still won 13 of 14 golds, and broke 11 Pan-Am records. American's Kim Peyton and Kathy Heddy won 4 gold medals apiece. The Americans were well received by the crowd due to the variety of stylish hats they wore on the victory stand.

Synchronized Swimming - The U.S. again won all three events, although the competition was closer.

Tennis - The U.S. swept the gold medals for the first time in Pan-Am history.

Men's Volleyball - The Cubans (7-0) won their second consecutive gold medal without losing a single game. Brazil (6-1) won the silver and Mexico (5-2) the bronze. The U.S. (4-3) struggled its way to a fourth place finish.

Women's Volleyball - The order of finish was nearly identical to Cali, with Cuba, Peru, and Mexico winning the same medals. The U.S. finished sixth for the second consecutive time.

Water Polo - Mexico (4-0) won the gold medal, but the U.S. (3-1) defeated the Cubans (2-2) by a score of 3-1 to win the silver medal. Cuba settled for the bronze. The game turned ugly when Cuba's players started throwing punches. 3 U.S. players were injured, including the goalie, whose split lip required 10 stitches.

Weighlifting - The Press was discontinued, reducing the number of lift styles to 2 in each class. The U.S. domination ended as Cuba surpassed the American lifters. The U.S. only won 2 golds to Cuba's 12. American Philip Grippaldi won a third consecutive gold medal in the Middle Heavyweight class.

Freestyle Wrestling - The U.S. won gold in 5 of 10 classes, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. Cuba won 10 medals, including 5 gold.

Greco-Roman Wrestling - Held for the first time, American wrestlers dominated the competition, winning 7 gold and 3 silver medals. Cuba also performed well with 2 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals. U.S. wrestler Willie Williams was an unusually popular American in Mexico. Williams opponent, Mexico's Javier Serrano, was disqualified for drinking honey (only water was permitted between rounds). After the 2000 Mexican spectators threw trash into the ring, Williams gave Serrano a rematch. After Williams won, the crowd cheered and applauded him.

Yachting - The U.S. sailors grabbed 3 of 4 gold medals and 1 bronze. Brazil won the Flying Dutchman class easily, while Canada edged past the U.S. for the silver.

Click Here for a complete list of 1975 Gold Medalists.

THE CLOSING CEREMONIES

The Games came to a colorful close on 26 October in Azteca Stadium. After the flagbearers lined up behind the rostrum, PASO President Jose Beracasa declared the Games closed. (Mexican President Echeverria declined abruptly to attend because he was booed at the Opening Ceremony.) The PASO Flag was presented to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Pan American Flame was extinguished.





			THE HOST CITY Santiago, Chile, had originally been awarded the VIIth Pan American Games. Financial difficulties and political turmoil forced the organizers to withdraw. Sao Paulo, Brazil then was awarded the games, but was force to withdraw on Oct. 17, 1974 due to financial problems and a Meningitis outbreak. On Oct. 19, 1974, Mexico City was named host city. PASO members were impressed by the organization of the games in Mexico, on such short notice. So much so, that they elected the President of the Mexican Olympic Committee, Mario Vasquez Rana, as the next PASO President during their meeting in Mexico City.

			THE OPENING CEREMONIES The Games opened on 12 October in Azteca Stadium. The tone of the games was set ominously during the parade of 3146 athletes from 33 nations. The 110,000 spectators booed. They booed the U.S. team. They booed their own President, who was pro-USA in his policies. They cheered, on the other hand, when the Cuban team marched past. President Luis Echeverria opened the games, his remarks nearly drowned out by boos. The Olympic and PASO Flags were raised, Mexican children performed card tricks, and Rodolfo Gomez, a distance runner, lit the Pan American Flame.

			THE COMPETITION Men's Athletics - The absence of the top U.S. stars failed to end the U.S. domination with the Americans amassing 12 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze. Cuba closed the gap with 4 gold, 7 silver, and 6 bronze. Future Olympic champion Bruce Jenner won the Decathlon. desptie destroying a Mexican newspaper photographer's camera with an errant javelin throw. Brazil;s traditional strength in the jumping led to gold medals in the long and triple jumps. Mike Manley (USA) won his second consecutive steeplechase. No one seemed to know how far American Sam Colson threw the javelin. The on-field officials, electronic results service, and meet officials al announced different distances, all Pan-Am records. The U.S. protested the results of the 29Km walk, after bronze medalist Larry Young was interfered with by Mexican spectators just as he was overtaking the two Mexicans who finished first and second. The appeal was denied. Cuba's Silvio Leonard finished the 100m so out of control, that he crashed into a tunnel and hurt his ankle, breaking the Pan-Am record fir the event. Controversy occurred in the discus, where the U.S. filed an appeal over Cuba's silver medalist Julian Morrinson, whose discus was allegedly illegal. The apeal was denied, although his discus was found to be illegal. Altogether, athletes from 10 nations reached the top of the victory podium, while 9 Pan-Am records were set. The Mexican crowds booed the and whistled the Americans, who responded with "Bronx" cheers. Women's Athletics - 1971 discus gold medalist Carmen Romero (CUB) won the event again in Mexico. The U.S. won 16 medals, although the competition was getting tougher. Canada garnered 12 medals, and Cuba won 9. 8 world records were set. The 200m was won by Chandra Cheesborough in a photo-finish. A surprise winner was Cuba's Ana Alexander, who won the long jump gold with a Pan-Am record leap after barely qualifying for the final. The most bizarre moment came in the 200m, when officials on the field reversed the gold and silver medals, even though the correct results were displayed on the scoreboard. When a CBS reporter told the athletes about the mistake, both women burst into tears as they exchanged the medals with each other. Baseball - Weather was a factor with cold, chilly weather prevailing and a driving rainstorm interrupting play. Poor lighting was also a complaint. The U.S. team, after the rain delay, lost to Dominican Republic 5-3, then to Cuba 4-3, ending their gold medal hopes. U.S. outfielder Rick Clopton was nearly ejected from the U.S.-Cuba game for offering his glasses to the Mexican umpire after disagreeing with Efraim Ibarra's ball and strike calls. Cuba (8-0) won easily, followed by the U.S. (6-2), and Venezuela (5-3). Men's Basketball - Following the seeding controversy in Cali, the round-robin format was restored. The U.S. (9-0) won easily, with Brazil (7-2) second, and Puerto Rico (7-2) third. An ugly incident occurred at the end of Puerto Rico's 89-85 win over Cuba. Cuban basketball commissioner Jose Alvarez attacked the Canadian referee, Allen Rae. U.S. coach Marv Harshamm did little to help the anti-U.S. atmosphere, when he complained about the Americans' 103-62 opening win over Argentina. He felt the U.S. should have won by more than 41 pts. Women's Basketball - The U.S. (7-0) won, followed by Mexico (6-1) and Cuba (5-2). Defending champion Brazil finished with a dissappointed 4-3 record. Boxing - The bouts were full of surprises. Perennial contender Mexico won only 1 bronze medal. Cuba won 8 gold medals, while the U.S. boxers, hampered by the high altitude, won 3. Teofilo Stevenson (CUB) won his first Heavyweight gold medal. Cycling - Chaos reigned at the velodrome, as one controversy after another tried everyone's patience. After a Cuban appeal was upheld in the Scratch Sprint semifinals, American Steve Woznick had had enough. He parked his bike in front of the judges, took out a knife, cut off the tires, threw them aside, and tried to toss the bike into the stands. Not satisfied, he cut up his sweatsuit and stormed off with tears on his face! Incredibly, he later won the gold medal after anonther series of re-runs in the final. The U.S. won the 4000m Team Pursuit with an upset of defending champion Colombia that left the spectators stunned. Men's Diving - The U.S. dominated the competition with 1 gold, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze. Carlos Giron (MEX) won the 10m Platform gold and the 2m Springboard bronze. Women's Diving - The U.S. and Canada each won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. 29 years before Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction", Canadian diver Linda Cuthbert was humiliated while describing one of her dives on live national television. The underwater camera caught her swimsuit top breaking, revealing her naked breasts! She had the consolation of winning the bronze medal. Equestrian - The U.S., after withdrawing from the Cali games, arrived in force in Mexico City. The U.S. won 4 of 6 events. The highlight was a thrilling duel between Mexico and the U.S. in the Prix des Nations, held in front of a crowd of 85,000 in Azteca Stadium prior to the Closing Ceremonies. The U.S. found perfection in the final rounds to win the gold medal. During the Three-Day Event, American Bruce Davidson, who officials mistook for disqualified Canadian Jim Day, was halted in mid-run, but was allowed to continue and won the silver medal after the error was discovered. Fencing - Cuba edged past the U.S. for the first time, winning 5 gold medals, to the Americans' 2. Martin Lang (USA) upset defending foil champion Eduardo Jons (CUB). Field Hockey - Argentina won its third consecutive gold medal easily, with Canda second and Mexico third. Men's Gymnastics - The meet became a showdown between Cuba and the U.S. The U.S. won the team event and 1 individual gold, along with 4 silver and 5 bronze medals. Cuba won 7 gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze (including 2 golds on rings when two Cubans tied). The lone U.S. winner was Peter Kormann on Floor Exercise. Women's Gymnastics - The U.S. dominated the competition, winning the team gold, and sweeping the medals in all 6 individual events. Ann Carr won 5 gold medals, including the team gold, and a tie with teammate Roxanne Pierce on the Uneven Bars. Judo - The U.S. won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals. The schedule was disrupted when the competitors' bus brokedown. Light Heavyweight Irwin Cohen was controversally disqualified as he was about to pin Brazil's Campos. A mini-riot occurred after Cuba's Hector Rodriguez was disqualified in a semi-final bout against Canada's Brad Morrow. Armed troops were used to restore order. Cuba later refused the silver medal. Rowing - The U.S. turned in the best performance with 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal. In the marquee event, the U.S. eights barely edged out the hard charging Cubans for the gold medal. Shooting - The U.S. continued its traditional dominance, winning 23 of 27 gold medals. Mexico's Olegario Vasquez Rana, the brother of the organizing committee's president, won the air rifle event with new world record. Herschel Anderson (USA) won 5 gold medals, while teammate Margaret Murdock won 3 golds. A comic moment occurred when, after a scoring controversy, someone decided the officials should count all of the bullet holes in the target! Soccer - The tournament ended in controversy, when the lights at Azteca Stadium failed in the fifth minute of the second overtime with Brazil and Mexico tied 1-1. The referee waited a half-hour, then called off the game. The teams were declared co-champions and awarded gold medals. FIFA later decided to replay the game, a decision that was quickly scrapped amid howls of protest. Men's Swimming - The U.S. swam away from the competition winning 26 of 45 medals, including 14 of 15 golds. The lone exception was the 200m Freestyle, on by Jorge Delgado (ECU) in an upset of U.S. star Rick DeMont. Women's Swimming - Without its top swimmers, the U.S. still won 13 of 14 golds, and broke 11 Pan-Am records. American's Kim Peyton and Kathy Heddy won 4 gold medals apiece. The Americans were well received by the crowd due to the variety of stylish hats they wore on the victory stand. Synchronized Swimming - The U.S. again won all three events, although the competition was closer. Tennis - The U.S. swept the gold medals for the first time in Pan-Am history. Men's Volleyball - The Cubans (7-0) won their second consecutive gold medal without losing a single game. Brazil (6-1) won the silver and Mexico (5-2) the bronze. The U.S. (4-3) struggled its way to a fourth place finish. Women's Volleyball - The order of finish was nearly identical to Cali, with Cuba, Peru, and Mexico winning the same medals. The U.S. finished sixth for the second consecutive time. Water Polo - Mexico (4-0) won the gold medal, but the U.S. (3-1) defeated the Cubans (2-2) by a score of 3-1 to win the silver medal. Cuba settled for the bronze. The game turned ugly when Cuba's players started throwing punches. 3 U.S. players were injured, including the goalie, whose split lip required 10 stitches. Weighlifting - The Press was discontinued, reducing the number of lift styles to 2 in each class. The U.S. domination ended as Cuba surpassed the American lifters. The U.S. only won 2 golds to Cuba's 12. American Philip Grippaldi won a third consecutive gold medal in the Middle Heavyweight class. Freestyle Wrestling - The U.S. won gold in 5 of 10 classes, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. Cuba won 10 medals, including 5 gold. Greco-Roman Wrestling - Held for the first time, American wrestlers dominated the competition, winning 7 gold and 3 silver medals. Cuba also performed well with 2 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals. U.S. wrestler Willie Williams was an unusually popular American in Mexico. Williams opponent, Mexico's Javier Serrano, was disqualified for drinking honey (only water was permitted between rounds). After the 2000 Mexican spectators threw trash into the ring, Williams gave Serrano a rematch. After Williams won, the crowd cheered and applauded him. Yachting - The U.S. sailors grabbed 3 of 4 gold medals and 1 bronze. Brazil won the Flying Dutchman class easily, while Canada edged past the U.S. for the silver. Click Here for a complete list of 1975 Gold Medalists.

		THE CLOSING CEREMONIES The Games came to a colorful close on 26 October in Azteca Stadium. After the flagbearers lined up behind the rostrum, PASO President Jose Beracasa declared the Games closed. (Mexican President Echeverria declined abruptly to attend because he was booed at the Opening Ceremony.) The PASO Flag was presented to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Pan American Flame was extinguished.