2003 Pan American Games

XIV Pan American Games

Official logo of the Santo Domingo 2003 Pan American Games.
Host city	Santo Domingo
Country	Dominican Republic
Nations participating	42
Athletes participating	5,223
Events	338 in 35 sports
Opening ceremony	August 1
Closing ceremony	August 17
Officially opened by	President Hipólito Mejía
Pan American torch	Luis Pujols
Main venue	Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez
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The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 until August 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America.

All 42 PASO countries and over 5,223 athletes pre-registered for the participation in the XIV Pan American Games. An additional 2,425 trainers and delegates attended. The United States pre-registered the most athletes (713) and Saint Lucia entered the least(6). The host country entered 562 athletes.

Santo Domingo beat Guadalajara, Mexico, and Medellín, Colombia, in the voting. Guadalajara later went on to host the 2011 Pan American Games.

The games opened at Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez before a crowd of 48,000. The exhibition featured some 10,000 performers, some dressed in costumes ranging from skeletons to men in tuxedoes and top hats, typifying a Dominican carnival.

Local baseball heroes Juan Marichal and Pedro Martínez were on hand for the ceremony. They completed the final lap of the torch and with Luis Pujols, the nephew of the San Francisco Giants coach of the same name, dressed in a Dominican baseball uniform, swung a bat at a baseball sitting atop the mini-flame which triggered the cauldron.

The ceremony also was attended by then-President of the Dominican Republic Hipólito Mejía, Pan American Sports Organization president Mario Vázquez Raña and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.