SYMBOLS OF THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES
THE PAN AMERICAN FLAME
The Pan American Flame was first lit at the Cotton Bowl during the 1937 Pan American Games held in conjunction with the Pan American Exposition in Dallas. The Pan American Torch was first lit in 1951 on Mt. Olympus in Greece. A relay of runners carried the torch to Buenos Aires, Argentina, host city of the Ist Pan American Games. A Greek athlete, John Sossidis, carried the torch into the opening ceremonies and lit the urn in the stadium.
Starting with the 2nd Pan American Games in 1955 the torch was lit in Mexico City on a hill where the Aztecs burned their ceremonial fires. The torch is then carried by a relay of runners to the site of the games.
In 1967, The torch was flown from Mexico City to St. Paul, Minnesota. A relay of "First Nations" Native American runners carried the torch to Winnipeg for the Vth Pan American Games. At the entrance to the stadium, the last Native American torchbearer was stopped and replaced in favor of a white University of Manitoba student-athlete. When the XIIIth Pan American Games were held in Winnipeg, in 1999, the Native American runners were given a formal apology and allowed to bring the torch into the opening ceremonies. The Native Americans were greeted with a tremendous ovation, before passing the torch to the final torchbearers.
Since 1991, the torch has been lit at the ancient Aztec temple of Teotihuacan in Mexico City as a reenactment of an ancient Aztec fire ritual. The 1991 torch lighting was the first time this ceremony was performed since the Atzec conquest in the 1500s.
The identity of the final torchbearer is usually a closely guarded secret, and is an honor for the athlete or individual chosen.
THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES MOTTO
The Pan American Games Motto is: America, Espirito, Sport, Fraternite
The motto is in the four languages of the Americas (English, Spanish, French, and Portugese) and means "The American Spirit of Friendship Through Sport" The motto was coined by a Mexican, Leoncio Gonzalez Salas.
THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES
The official languages of PASO are English and Spanish.
THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES LOGO
Adopted in 1955 after a competition, The Pan American Games Logo was designed by a Mexican, Leoncio Gonzalez Salas, and consists of a torch superimposed on five concentric rings. The color of the rings from the center are: Yellow, Green, White, Red, and Blue. At least one color is found in every flag of the member nations. The center disc around the torch is light blue and bears the motto of the games in a circular pattern. In 1998 the Olympic Rings were added to the torch to symbolize the connection with the Olympic Movement.
THE PAN AMERICAN SPORTS ORGANIZATION FLAG
(THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES FLAG)
A special flag was created for the Pan American Games held in conjunction with the 1937 Pan American Exposition in Dallas. The design was two interlocking gold rings (arranged to match the geographic locations of North and South America) on a dark blue field with the gold letters "PAN AMERICAN" above and "GAMES" below. This flag was raised during the opening ceremony and flew over the Cotton Bowl during the athletics and soccer events and later was displayed during the boxing tournament.
The Pan American Sports Organization Flag is a white 1:2 proportioned rectangle with the PASO logo in the center. On either side of the logo are the initials of the Pan American Sports Organization in English and Spanish.
The PASO Flag has undergone several alterations since it was first adopted in 1955. The original design included the PASO logo on a white field. This version was used through the 1987 games. Before the 1991 games the name of the organization in Spanish and English was added beneath the logo:
Organizacion Deportiva Panamericana
Pan American Sports Organization
The current version was adopted before the 1999 games.
A large version with the same 1:2 proportions is used as the ceremonial flag of the games. This flag is raised during opening ceremonies and flies until the closing ceremony.
The Olympic Flag has also been flown at every Pan American Games since 1951.
1937 PAN AMERICAN GAMES FLAG
1955 - 1987 PASO FLAG
1991 - 1995 PASO FLAG
1999 - Present PASO FLAG
THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES ANTHEM
There is no official Pan American Games Anthem. Various anthems have been composed over the years, most notably by Carol Forbes for the opening ceremony of the Xth Pan American Games at Indianapolis in 1987, but none have been adopted by PASO as official. The organizing committee decides what music shall accompany the raising of the ceremonial PASO Flag at the opening ceremony.
THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES OATH
An athlete from the host nation pronounces the Pan American Games Oath during the opening ceremony in the following words: "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Pan American Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."
Then an official from the host nation takes the following oath: "In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these Pan American Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship."