The closing ceremonies were a bit more formal and solemn, with Juan and Eva Perón honoring the participating nations and athletes at the River Plate stadium.
The opening lines of this article — "The nation, on its path toward athletic maturity, will, beginning today, attend to the opening ceremony of the first Pan-American Games that will take place at the President Perón Stadium in Avellaneda ..." —…
A variety of superlatives color the account of the opening cermonies of the 1951 Pan-American Games. There is some mention of the ticket prices and the fact that Perón was concerned about the ability of the nation's "most humble" citizens being able…
The 1951 Pan-American Games are not as overtly patriotic in El Gráfico as in other magazines; international athletes receive good coverage. However, these games (perhaps forced) featured much more coverage of Perón than usual. The ceremonies were…
Notice the staging, with large pillars, lights, and a massive stage. Perón and Eva tie Argentine flag ribbons to the flags of the participating nations.
President Perón inaugurates the cycling track in Palermo named after him, and built for the Pan American Games, with over 10,000 spectators in attendance. In his speech, Perón emphasizes that the new venue would be open to all Argentines regardless…
Argentina selects its baseball and softball teams for the inaugural 1951 Pan-American Games, which is noteworthy because Argentines did not have a recorded history of playing either sport.
One of the standout performers of the 1951 Pan-American Games was Elsa Irigoyen, who later served a crucial role in the diffusion of female sports in the Peronist government.
Mexico earned the hosting rights to the 1955 Pan-American Games, which would include women's basketball, volleyball, and other sports. Photographs show the Argentine and U.S. men's basketball teams, which repayed the final from a the previous year…