1999 pan am games rowing

One city transformed into a sporting mecca. Hey there, time traveller! Twenty-one years ago, Winnipeg hosted an athletics extravaganza: the Pan American Games. Athletes from all over the world descended on the city and surrounding towns, looking for glory in their diverse disciplines — aquatics to archery, tennis to triathlon, rowing to rugby. Princess Anne and Gov. The Games — which returned to Winnipeg for the first time since the edition — opened with much pomp and circumstance on July 23, , as 40, people packed Winnipeg Stadium for an epic, nearly three-hour-long opening ceremony.

The festivities featured 1, dancers dressed to represent the four seasons, a visit from Princess Anne — "she was charming," then-mayor Glen Murray said at the time, "even after spending the whole day on a plane she still looked wonderful," — and O Canada performed by Chantal Kreviazuk. Canada was stripped of the inline hockey gold medal after goaltender Steve Vezina tested positive for banned substances, including an anabolic steroid.

Heavy rain in the weeks leading up the Games, followed up by hot temperatures and high humidity, led to a large mosquito infestation with the pests migrating from as far as eight kilometres outside city limits.

Trap counts reached , which meant anyone outdoors could be bitten between 10 and 15 times per minute, entomologist Randy Gadawski said at the time, obviously not ideal for athletes competing or fans watching.

Winnipeg was in full-on Pan Am party mode. Prior to the lighting of the torch, hundreds took to the streets to watch the runner torch relay and thousands flocked to Old Market Square for an all-day, act Mardi Gras concert.

For the two weeks thereafter, one could barely turn around without bumping into elite athletic events. Birds Hill Provincial Park hosted cycling and triathlon, Minnedosa was the site for rowing and canoeing and Gimli was the gathering place for sailing. The Pan Am games have been "seen by many Winnipeggers as a chance to put their city squarely in the international spotlight".

However, the Games themselves only had mixed success, as the Pan Am Games ranked below the Olympics and Commonwealth Games in international prestige. Hosts Canada celebrated its medal haul, which was the second best after the United States. However, some considered Canada's results overrated, since the US amassed the most medals with a mostly second-string team while Canada and Cuba had fielded their top national athletes.

Cuba also managed more golds than Canada, despite having a smaller roster. Frequent comparisons were made to the Pan Am Games, also hosted by Winnipeg, where the United States had fielded many rising stars, such as Mark Spitz. By comparison, the Americans had sent their "B" team to the Games. No major US networks covered the Pan Am Games, while newspapers only sent second-string reporters instead and the stories never made front page news.

The inaugural event involved 1, athletes from 18 countries competing in four sports. From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. Jump to: navigation , search. For a more comprehensive list, see Pan American Games medal table. CBC News. Archived from the original on Then, on the temporary velodrome track at Red River Exhibition Park, she won gold medals in the 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. Nikki Jenkins captured the silver in the kilo judo event.

Cindy Klassen competed in inline speed skating where her best finishes were third in the metres and fifth in the 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 , inning upset over the U. Derek Porter won this medal in the men's single scull events in rowing.

Derek was a strong and fierce competitor. Although he has won numerous medals, he says the gold medal he won at home in at the Pan American Games is one of his most memorable moments in his career.