To prepare for the Pan American Games to be held in Guadalajara in 2011, Puerto Vallarta is hosting and promoting sporting events of an international status, such as the First Sports Series Puerto Vallarta 2008, to be held from September 25 – October 5. The series will comprise of three events in one: open water swimming, triathlon and beach volleyball held at national and international levels. These events will attract many visitors to our area, thanks to the participation of over a hundred athletes.
“The Pan American Games are a very powerful reason to become a host for major events, and to obtain the international recognition that our tourist destination needs,” said the Secretary of State for Tourism, Aurelio Lopez Rocha. He also hopes that the games will place Jalisco and in particular the city of Guadalajara, on the map of major events held at an international caliber.
The event will start with the beach volleyball competition on Thursday September 25 at the Agustin Flores Contreras Municipal Sports Stadium, with the participation of the twelve best women’s teams in the Pan American region. This will include teams from the countries of Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Mexico. The event continues on October 4, with an open national swimming competition in the ocean. Two hundred participants will swim over ten kilometers from our beautiful local beaches. The Pan American Youth Triathlon will close the series on October 5. In this grueling competition, 700 triathletes will attempt to complete 1.5 miles swimming, 40 km of cycling and 10 kilometers of running.