Pacific Ocean Games

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For the games between Oceanian island countries, see Pacific Games.
Pacific Ocean Games
Host cityCali, Colombia
Nations participating38 (invited)
Athletes participating3000 (invited)
Events13
Opening ceremonyJune 23
Closing ceremonyJuly 3
Officially opened byPresident Ernesto Samper
Main venueEstadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero

The Pacific Ocean Games (Spanish: Juegos del Océano Pacífico) was a multi-sport event between countries of the Pacific Rim. It was held only once, in 1995 from June 23 to July 3 in Cali, Colombia.[1] Some events were also hosted in the Colombian cities of Buenaventura, Armenia, Pereira, Manizales, Popayán.[2]

Overview[]

Led by , the head of the Colombian Olympic Committee, the games followed on from the country's hosting of the 1971 Pan American Games and 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games. A total of thirteen sports were contested, with 38 nations and around 3000 athletes making the start lists.[1] The Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali was the main stadium for the event.[3]

The games were opened by Colombian President Ernesto Samper. The opening ceremony featured Colombian orchestras, a ballet by Sonia Osorio (Leyenda de El Dorado), a fashion show of clothing designed by , and dancing exhibitions to music including currulao and salsa.[4][5] The inauguration was linked with the hosting of the first Congress of National Olympic Committees of the Pacific Rim (ODECOP).[6]

This grouping proved short-lived and despite an agreement to host the next Pacific Ocean Games in 1999 in Santiago de Chile,[7] and a 2001 Games Vancouver, Canada, the games were disbanded.[1] The host nation had hoped the 1995 event would raise its profile in the region and attract tourists, but many of the city's hotels remained relatively unoccupied during the games.[8]

The hosts Colombia easily topped the medal table with 72 golds and 212 medals overall – a number that equalled the combined total medals taken by the next three most successful nations: the United States, China and Taiwan. This reflected the lack of high level competitors sent by the other nations invited to Colombia.[9]

It was the first time a games was held for the region, building upon previous individual international sports competitions, such as the track and field-based Pacific Conference Games (1969–1985), the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (launched 1985) and gymnastics-based Pacific Rim Championships (launched 1988).[10][11][12]

Sports[]

Participating nations[]

  •  American Samoa
  •  Australia
  •  Brunei
  •  Canada
  •  Chile
  •  China
  •  Chinese Taipei
  •  Colombia
  •  Cook Islands
  •  Costa Rica
  •  Ecuador
  •  El Salvador
  •  Guam
  •  Guatemala
  •  Fiji
  •  Honduras
  •  Hong Kong
  •  Indonesia
  •  Japan
  •  Malaysia
  •  Mexico
  •  New Zealand
  •  Nicaragua
  •  North Korea
  •  Panama
  •  Papua New Guinea
  •  Peru
  •  Philippines
  •  Russia
  •  Samoa
  •  Singapore
  •  Solomon Islands
  •  South Korea
  •  Thailand
  •  Tonga
  •  United States
  •  Vanuatu
  •  Vietnam

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Bell, Daniel (2003). Encyclopedia of International Games, pp. 291–2. McFarland and Company, Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 0-7864-1026-4.
  2. ^ 1995 Inauguración de los Juegos del Océano Pacífico Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish). Diario Occidente. Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  3. ^ Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero (in Spanish). Juegos Acord 2015 (2014-11-28). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  4. ^ El programa de la inauguración de los I Juegos del Océano Pacífico se iniciará a las 6:00 de esta tarde y se cumplirá de la siguiente manera: (in Spanish). El Tiempo (1995-06-23). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  5. ^ ASÍ SE INAUGURARÁN LOS I JUEGOS DEL PACÍFICO (in Spanish). El Tiempo (1995-06-23). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  6. ^ JUEGOS DEL PACÍFICO INGRESAN A LA HISTORIA (in Spanish). El Tiempo (1995-06-23). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  7. ^ CHILE, LA PRÓXIMA SEDE (in Spanish). El Tiempo (1995-06-23). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  8. ^ POCO TURISTA SE DEJÓ ATRAER POR LOS JUEGOS DEL PACÍFICO (in Spanish). 'El Tiempo (1995-06-24). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  9. ^ COLOMBIA, CAMPEÓN DE LOS JUEGOS (in Spanish). El Tiempo (1995-07-03). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  10. ^ Pacific Conference Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  11. ^ Hancock Prospecting Pan Pacific Championships About The Event Archived 2015-03-19 at the Wayback Machine. Swimming Australia. Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
  12. ^ Q&A: What to expect at gymnastic championships. Herald (2012-03-14). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.
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