Remembering the 1999 Pan Am Games

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2019 (2273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 2019 Pan American Games opened in Lima, Peru, on July 26 and will run until Aug. 11, with more than 6,600 athletes competing in 39 sports.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Winnipeg hosted the international event. Between July 23 and Aug. 8, 1999, more than 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated in 35 sports at 28 Manitoba venues. Canada finished third behind the U.S.A. and Cuba in the medal race.  
You can still occasionally see someone wearing a salmon-coloured volunteers’ jacket from the 1999 Games and the question you ask yourself is whether the individual found it in a local thrift shop or if he or she is still proud to have been one of the more than 20,000 volunteers who played a major role in the success of the Games.

A highlight for Manitobans was cyclist Tanya Dubnicoff. The 1993 world sprint champion carried the Canadian flag in the opening ceremonies at Winnipeg Stadium. Then, on the temporary velodrome track at Red River Exhibition Park, she won gold medals in the 500-metre time trial and the sprint. Dubnicoff deserved the title “Queen of the Games” not only for her victories on the bicycle but also for her visible support for the Games in her home province.    

Fifty-one Manitobans competed and 24 won medals, a number with teams. Swimmer Kelly Stefanyshyn won gold in the women’s 100-metre and bronze in the 200-metre backstroke. Kelly Hand from Carman sailed to gold in the women’s laser radial competition on Lake Winnipeg. On Lake Minnedosa, Emma Robinson from Winnipeg won a rowing gold with her pairs partner Theresa Luke from Vancouver. Nikki Jenkins captured the silver in the 78-kilo judo event. Dominique Bosshart in tae kwon do, Henry Gerow in the prone rifle competition and badminton’s Kara Solmundson earned bronze.

Cindy Klassen competed in inline speed skating where her best finishes were third in the 300 metres and fifth in the 500 metres.

Baseball fans loved the new CanWest Global Park in downtown Winnipeg, where the Canadian team made a surprise showing. Managed by former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Ernie Whitt, Canada won its first five games, which included a 7-6, 11-inning upset over the U.S.A. In the semi-finals, Canada lost 3-2 to the powerful Cuban national team while the U.S.A. edged Mexico 2-1. In the final, Cuba beat the U.S.A. 5-1 for its eighth consecutive Pan Am Games title. Canada beat Mexico 9-2 for the bronze.  
Organizers had paid world and Olympic champion sprinter Donovan Bailey $200,000 to endorse the Games and compete for Canada. On June 27 at the Games trials, he failed to qualify in his specialty, the 100 metres, finishing third behind Bruny Surin and Brad McCuaig. When Surin instead chose to run in Europe, Athletics Canada offered his spot to Bailey.

He refused, saying that he hadn’t been selected to run the 100 metres and hadn’t trained. Although he ran the first leg for the 4×100 relay team that won gold on July 29, he did not participate in the July 23 opening ceremonies, stating that sprinters had to save their legs. No doubt the organizers wished that they had saved that $200,000 for use somewhere else.

Memories of Sport appears every second week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. Kent Morgan can be contacted at 204-489-6641 or email: sportsmemories@canstarnews.com