Pan Ams Report - U.S. Team Sets Record

(ATR) The largest delegation of athletes to leave U.S. soil will compete at the 2011 Pan American Games, which begin Friday in Guadalajara.

A total of about620 athletes from the U.S. willcompete.

"We have a terrific team we’ve brought to Guadalajara," said U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Larry Probst, adding with a smile, "Our fingers are crossed that the rain will stop soon and the sun will start shining."

The Pan Am delegation is larger than the one that will compete in London at the 2012 Olympics. That delegation will number in the mid-500s according to the USOC.

There are 82 Olympians on the team including 10 Olympic champions. Gymnast Shawn Johnson (2008) and shooter Kim Rhode (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008) have won four Olympics medals apiece.

The USOC cited 23 sports in which the U.S. athletes competing are top-ranked, but most of these are the lesser-known sports. Most of the top talent in athletics, swimming and artistic gymnastics competed earlier this year at their respective world championships.

Shot putter Michelle Carter and discus thrower Aretha Thurmond are Olympians who also competed at Worlds in Daegu.

At the most recent Pan Am Games, athletics and swimming have sent "B" teams.

"I think we’ve got a lot of the top athletes," said CEO Scott Blackmun.

"At the end of the day, the scheduling of these Games was a little more challenging than normal – October instead of summer. So much of our team is historically made up of college athletes, who are in school now or in their college season."

The artistic world championships just concluded in Tokyo and Blackmun said "it’s not safe for them to go straight from one competition to another."

Brady Ellison, the No. 1 ranked archer in the world, world and Olympic champion fencer Mariel Zagunis, and world champion wrestler Jordan Burroughs, will compete for the U.S. in Guadalajara.

Among the 36 sports, the Pan Am Games are a pivotal Olympic qualifier in the sports of show jumping, women’s water polo, synchronized swimming and men’s and women’s team handball.

The U.S. has not participated in the Olympics in team handball since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, when a berth was guaranteed as host country.

"The athletes are in the Village, are incredibly enthusiastic and incredibly positive and I’m just excited to see how well they do," said Alan Ashley, the chief of sport performance for the USOC and chef de mission.

He and other USOC officials would offer no medal projections for the U.S. team, which has traditionally won the medal count.

"The challenge for us is to move forward in events we are weaker or have to quality for the Games," Ashley said, adding that the event helps athletes who are in the pipeline for London gain experience at a multi-sport event.

Bidding for the Pan Ams?

The United States hasn’t hosted the Pan American Games since the 1987 edition in Indianapolis. San Antonio, Texas, lost to Rio de Janeiro for the right to host the 2007 Games.

Blackmun said that while the U.S. "would love to look at hosting the Pan American Games at some point," a bid cannot be considered until the U.S. puts its financial matter aside. The USOC is still in discussion with the IOC over revenue sharing.

"I wouldn’t say it’s a concern, but I think we recognized would like to be more active and recognized internationally," Blackmun said.

He added that the U.S. recently hosted the International Athletes Forum in Colorado Springs and will host the Women in Sport Conference in Los Angeles in February.

Hostile Environment for U.S.?

A Mexican reporter asked U.S. officials about what he termed "a huge sense of antagonism against U.S. teams," even those competing against countries other than Mexico.

"I was aware we had some spirited competition on the soccer field," Blackmun said. "I wasn’t aware it was more than that. We’re not expecting any negativity at all and hopefully we’ll be right about that."

Anti-American sentiment erupted in Brazil in 2007 after a photo was published showing a sign in the U.S. press office that said "Welcome to the Congo." The phrase was considered "prejudiced and demeaning," wrote the New York Times and residents of Rio were irate.

Securityin Abundance

Asidefrom the usual security surrounding a huge sporting event, Mexico is the subject of a U.S. State Department travel advisory because of violence among warring drug cartels.

This is the first trip to a multi-sport event for many young athletes.

"I’m not aware of any specific questions from an athlete’s parent," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement to Around the Rings, "but we’ve certainly communicated with our team and the entire delegation regarding security during a Games. Like any event we go to, we have worked closely with the organizing committee and the relevant law enforcement agencies and are confident in their plans to host a safe and secure Games."

There are more than 10,000 police and military personnel in Guadalajara for the Games.

Leslie Gamez, Managing Director, International Games for the USOC, said the U.S. delegation has been "very pleased with the amount of security coverage in the Village. As more people have come into the Village, the security presence has increased. They’ve been very present and aware 24 hours a day."

Gamez said the USOC does test the system to make sure everything is in place and was satisfied.

She added that the U.S. did not bring extra security, but has a chief security officer on staff. The USOC said it is treating Guadalajara like it would if the Games were in Chicago, New York or San Francisco.

Media Attention

Media interest is mixed at these Pan American Games. Few print media outlets sent journalists to the Guadalajara, although The Associated Press has a team of reporters. Television coverage will only be seen on cable or the Internet in the United States through ESPN outlets, but a larger number of hours are available.

"The higher the quality of competition, the more interest the media is going to have," Blackmun says. He noted that rights to the 2015 Pan Ams in Toronto are selling "for north of $30 million. Clearly there is significant interest in these Games. As they become better known in the U.S. , you’ll see a similar increase in the amount of interest from broadcasters."

Written and reported in Guadalajara by Karen Rosen.

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