The Omnilife Stadium hosted the Opening Ceremony.
The opening ceremony of the 2011 Pan American Games took place on October 14, 2011, beginning at 20:00 CDT (1:00 UTC , October 15) at Omnilife Stadium in Zapopan , a suburb of Guadalajara , Jalisco , Mexico . The opening ceremony was directed and produced by Five Currents, which also produced the ceremonies at the 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2007 Pan American Games .[ 1]
The opening ceremony was originally scheduled to be held at Jalisco Stadium . However, the organizing committee for the Games (COPAG) changed the venue to Omnilife Stadium , because of its superior infrastructure and technological capability to host the event. Also, its proximity to the athletes village helped expedite the transportation of athletes and helped ensure their safety.[ 2]
Vicente Fernández performed the first act, singing the Mexican anthem at the games.[ 3] Colombian singer Juanes performed as did Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández , Vicente’s son, who performed the song "El Mismo Sol" the official theme of the Games at the ceremony.
Parade of the Nations [ edit ]
The participating countries marched in, beginning with Argentina and ending with the host nation, Mexico . Excluding Argentina and Mexico, the delegations entered by Spanish alphabetical order as per Pan American Sports Organization protocols, which also happened to be the official languages of the host nation.[ 4]
Dignitaries and other officials in attendance [ edit ]
Opening ceremony.
Felipe Calderón , President of Mexico [ 5]
Jacques Rogge , President of the International Olympic Committee [ 6]
Mario Vázquez Raña , President of the Pan American Sports Organization and Association of National Olympic Committees [ 5]
Emilio González Márquez , Governor of Jalisco [ 5]
Bal Gosal , Canadian Minister of Sport [ 7]
Andrade Garin, Head of the Guadalajara 2011 Organizing committee for the 2011 Pan and Parapan American Games (COPAG)
Jorge Aristóteles Sandoval, Mayor of Guadalajara
Earl Anthony Wayne , United States Ambassador to Mexico [ 8]
Julie Ertel , former water polo and triathlon athlete (United States)[ 8]
Allyson Felix , track and field athlete (United States)[ 8]
Julio Maglione , member of the IOC representing Uruguay and the president of FINA
Rafael Márquez , Mexican footballer [ 9]
Julio César Chávez , Mexican boxer [ 9]
Michael Fennell, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation
Julio Maglione , President of FINA
An estimated 130 million people across the Americas and the world were expected to watch the opening ceremony.[ 10]
^ "FiveCurrents to Produce 2011 Pan American Games Ceremonies" . Five currents . November 9, 2010.
^ El estadio Omnilife será sede de los Juegos Panamericanos 2011 [permanent dead link ] (in Spanish)
^ Ricky Martin to perform in closing ceremonies of Pan Am Games
^ "Pan American Regulation" . Pan American Sports Organization . May 27, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011.
^ a b c Felipe Calderón estará en la inauguración de JP (in Spanish) Archived January 27, 2013, at archive.today
^ Presidente IOC asistirá ceremonia de apertura Pan Am (in Spanish) Archived May 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Minister of State Gosal Attends 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico" . Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2011-10-12 .
^ a b c President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to Mexico to Attend the Opening Ceremony of the XVI Pan American Games
^ a b Pan American Games open to the sound of mariachi Archived October 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Estimated 130 million people will watch inauguration of Pan American games" . deportesus.terra.com. June 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2011 .
Opening ceremonies Closing ceremonies