With a rich history dating back to 1951, the Pan American Games have been held every four years, uniting athletes from throughout the Americas to compete in high-performance sport and seek qualification to the Olympic Games. Following the conclusion of the most recent edition of the Games in Lima, Peru in 2019, the leaders of the Pan American Sports Organization felt the need to tell the complete history of one of the world’s oldest and renowned sporting events. Although accounts of each edition of the Games have been written by the local Organizing Committees and various books have been written in a more academic tone reviewing the significance of the Pan American Games, the organization responsible for the Games did not have its own proper account of the 18 editions of the Games spanning its 70-year history.

During the global pandemic, I was approached to conduct the research for this incredible project and eventually help write the book in English and translate the work written in Spanish by my colleague and partner on the project, Daniel Esparza. I enthusiastically accepted the challenge and began searching for the most important athletes and moments from every edition of the Games beginning in Buenos Aires 1951. After nearly a year of research, we had enough information to begin writing.

During our research we found a treasure trove of triumphs by many of the best athletes in history. Legends such as Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, Allyson Felix, Shannon Miller, Greg Louganis, John Carlos, Pam Shriver, Nastia Liukin, Mark McGwire, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Al Oerter, Evander Holyfield, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bob Beamon and Althea Gibson have all graced the field of play at the Pan Am Games over the years — and that’s just for the United States. International legends such as Marta (Brazil), Javier Sotomayor (Cuba), Donovan Bailey (Canada), Elaine Thompson (Jamaica), Joaquin Capilla (Mexico), Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic), Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela), Monica Puig (Puerto Rico), Teofilo Stevenson (Cuba) and Luciana Aymar (Argentina) have also shined at the Games, racking up gold medals and new records along the way.

And don’t even get me started on the basketball talent that has competed at the Pan Am Games. An astounding 10 of the NBA’s 75 greatest players in history have competed, led by the G.O.A.T. himself, Michael Jordan in 1983. The “Logo” Jerry West played next to “The Big-O” Oscar Robertson in 1959. Willis Reed, Wes Unseld, Bob McAdoo, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Isiah Thomas and David Robinson followed by representing Team USA on the hardwood at the Games. Modern NBA players and stars have also competed for their country, including Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, Taurean Prince, J.J. Barea, Carlos Arroyo and many more.

As the next Pan American Games approach in Santiago, Chile in October 2023, we have finally finished writing and translating the nearly 400-page book. Each chapter details how the city and country earned the right to host the Games, background on their plans and preparations and renovations to welcome thousands of athletes from across the continent, and of course the incredible sporting achievements of many of the greatest athletes in history. We will publish the book in 2024 following the conclusion of the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games in two versions, English and Spanish, once we have added the newest chapter from the upcoming Games. The incredible Elizabeth Montenegro is designing the entirety of the book with photos we’ve received from the Olympic Committees that have hosted the Games.

Click the button below to download a sample chapter of the book covering the most recent Games of Lima 2019 and view some screenshots from that chapter taken below.