Cultural Ambassadorship and the Pan-American Games of the 1950s

This paper examines the history of the early Pan-American Games, held in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Chicago. The history of the Pan-American Games demonstrates the decline of goodwill between the US and Latin American sports organizations, audiences, and journalists during the Cold War. Despite the diplomatic failures of the Pan-American Games from a US-centred perspective, they are vital to understand the history of women's participation in sport and solidarity among Latin American delegations.