The Pacific Ocean Games ( es, Juegos del Océano Pacífico) was a multi-sport event between countries of the

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The ''Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire. List of co ...

. It was held only once, in 1995 from June 23 to July 3 in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

.Bell, Daniel (2003). ''Encyclopedia of International Games'', pp. 291–2. McFarland and Company, Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina. . Some events were also hosted in the Colombian cities of Buenaventura, Armenia,

Pereira Pereira (Portuguese and Galician for "pear tree") may refer to: People * Pereira (surname) Places *Brazil **Pereira (Bahia) (est. 1534) in the present-day Barra neighborhood of Salvador in Bahia **Pereira Barreto, municipality in São Paulo **Pe ...

, Manizales, Popayán.

Overview

Led by Jorge Herrera Barona, the head of the Colombian Olympic Committee, the games followed on from the country's hosting of the

1971 Pan American Games * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Jan ...

and

1978 Central American and Caribbean Games The 13th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Medellín, Colombia from July 7 to July 28, 1978, and included 2,605 athletes from nineteen nations, competing in 21 sports. Sports * * References Meta* Central American and Ca ...

. A total of thirteen sports were contested, with 38 nations and around 3000 athletes making the start lists. The

Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero The Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero is a football stadium, also used for athletics, concerts, and rugby sevens, in Santiago de Cali, Colombia which is named to honor the poet Pascual Guerrero. The stadium and the sports complex that surrounds i ...

in Cali was the main stadium for the event. The games were opened by Colombian President Ernesto Samper. The opening ceremony featured Colombian orchestras, a ballet by

Sonia Osorio Sonia Osorio de Saint-Malo (25 March 1928 – 28 March 2011) was a Colombian ballet dancer and choreographer. During her long career she became an important folklorist and promoter of the arts and culture having worked closely with and for the C ...

(''Leyenda de El Dorado''), a fashion show of clothing designed by

Carlos Arturo Zapata Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewh ...

, and dancing exhibitions to music including currulao and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

. The inauguration was linked with the hosting of the first Congress of National Olympic Committees of the Pacific Rim (ODECOP). This grouping proved short-lived and despite an agreement to host the next Pacific Ocean Games in 1999 in Santiago de Chile, and a 2001 Games Vancouver, Canada, the games were disbanded. The host nation had hoped the 1995 event would raise its profile in the region and attract tourists, but many of the city's hotels remained relatively unoccupied during the games. The hosts Colombia easily topped the medal table with 72 golds and 212 medals overall – a number that equalled the combined total medals taken by the next three most successful nations: the United States, China and Taiwan. This reflected the lack of high level competitors sent by the other nations invited to Colombia. It was the first time a games was held for the region, building upon previous individual international sports competitions, such as the track and field-based Pacific Conference Games (1969–1985), the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (launched 1985) and gymnastics-based Pacific Rim Championships (launched 1988).Q&A: What to expect at gymnastic championships
''Herald'' (2012-03-14). Retrieved on 2015-03-21.

Sports

Participating nations

References

{{Multi-sport events Defunct multi-sport events

Games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

Multi-sport events in Colombia International sports competitions hosted by Colombia 1995 in Colombian sport 1995 in multi-sport events Multi-sport events in North America Multi-sport events in South America Multi-sport events in Asia Multi-sport events in Oceania