SANTO DOMINGO, 19 August 2003 — The Pan American Games ended successfully yesterday as the Dominican Republic hosts overcame worries they had left their preparations too late.
The Pan American Sports Organization (ODEPA), which threatened several times over the past two years to take the games elsewhere as work fell behind schedule, was ultimately pleased with the outcome.
“Although we have come up against big problems, the Santo Domingo games have been a success,” ODEPA president Mario Vazquez Rana told reporters shortly before the end of the Games.
Tractors were still rumbling among many venues as athletes arrived for the games late last month and construction material was scattered around the Olympic village near the city airport.
But, despite hiccups with the results service, badly-made national flags, out-of-tune national anthems and referees staging protests over their expenses, competitors were generally happy with the facilities, conveniently concentrated into two main centers. The hospitality and friendliness of the Dominicans and the relatively crime-free environment were also a breath of fresh air to most visitors.
Doping cases were down to four from nine in Winnipeg four years ago and no desertions of Cuban athletes were reported.
Argentina’s Ulf Lienhard tested positive for cocaine after winning bronze in the men’s lightweight double sculls and US sprinter Mickey Grimes lost the gold in the men’s 100 meters after testing positive for ephedrine. Surinamese athlete Letitia Vriedse was stripped of gold in the women’s 800 meters after tests found caffeine above the permitted amount and Antigua cyclist Charles Fabian tested positive for ephedrine after finishing 19th, out of 20, in the men’s road time trial.
The most serious problems were the overcrowding of arenas when the host nation were taking part in finals.
Saturday’s women’s volleyball final between Dominican Republic and Cuba was delayed for more than half an hour after teargas, used by police to disperse hundreds of people trying to enter the already packed arena, drifted across the court.
Despite the presence of 5,200 athletes from 42 nations, the big problem remained the level of competition. The games went almost unnoticed outside the region as the United States, who still topped the medals table with 116 golds followed by Cuba with 72, left many top athletes at home.
They were further devalued by being held only three weeks after the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona and just before the World Athletics Championships in Paris.
Only eight of the 43 sports used the event as a qualifying competition for next year’s Athens Olympics. Teams taking part at the Pan American basketball tournament, for example, headed straight to Puerto Rico where a separate Olympic qualifying competition was taking place one week later.
The problem is likely to haunt Rio de Janeiro, who host the next games in 2007.
Coaracy Nunes, president of the Brazilian Swimming Confederation blamed an overcrowded international calendar. “It’s impossible,” he said when asked if the Games could be held at a time which would avoided clashing with other big events. “You would need to have 3,365 days in the year to fit everything in.”
Antiguan Cyclist Fabian
Fails Dope Test
Antigua cyclist Charles Fabian became the fourth athlete to fail a dope test at the Pan American Games, organizers said on Sunday.
Fabian tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine following the 50-km road time trial on Aug. 8, the Pan American Sports Organization (ODEPA) said in a statement. Fabian was 19th in the 20-rider event with a time of one hour 16.45 seconds. Colombia’s Jose Serpa won in 1:04.45. The other three athletes to fail tests at the games were all medal winners.
