The Pan American Games emerged from the growing interest of the youth throughout the American continent for conducting a sporting event that had the same characteristics as the Olympics but that could gather them in different years.

Already in the 1924 Paris Olympic events and then in Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936 the Pan American project was shaped, it was even agreed that the first edition would take place in 1942, but World War II prevented it.

The theme was proposed during London Olympics in 1948. It was there that the Pan American Sports Committee formalized the agreement: Buenos Aires was designated as the seat of the first edition.

Since that first edition, which was won by the host, the most important American Games have been conducted every four years continuously. In Toronto 2015 the Pan American fire will be lit for the 17th time in history.

PERÚ IN THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES
Peru has participated in every edition of the games and in the first edition, Buenos Aires 1951, celebrated getting two gold medals. Julia Sánchez Deza and Edwin Vasquez Cam were the first Peruvian gold medalists in the biggest multi-sport event in the continent.

The athlete Edith Noeding (100 meters hurdles, Mexico 1975), Carlos Hora (shooting, Caracas 1983) and Alexis Carbajal (karate, Santo Domingo 2003) have managed the other medals.

These medals, along with 25 silver and 57 bronze, place Peru in the nineteenth historic medal position of the Pan American Games.