Pan Am Games open in Guadalajara

It was almost like a home game for the Canadian team at the Pan American Games.

A roar erupted at Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico when the large contingent of Canadian athletes walked into the stadium Friday night, led by flag-bearer Christine Sinclair. It was one of the biggest pops from the parade of 42 nations, which was capped by the thundering ovation given to the Mexican team's entry.

Wearing a red hoodie, black shorts and white hat with Canada emblazoned on the front, Sinclair was beaming as she proudly waved the Maple Leaf and led her teammates for a walk around the infield. Many of the Canadians waved small flags, jumped with excitement and danced as they walked out behind the women's soccer captain.

"It's sort of a blur to me," Sinclair said. "What an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to lead the Canadian team into these Games."

Thumping dance music filled the air as a crowd of about 50,000 spectators partied and cheered on a cool, comfortable evening. The weather was a pleasant change from earlier in the week, when the remnants of hurricane Jova lashed the region with heavy rain.

Canada will have some 500 athletes compete at the Games, but many skipped the ceremony to rest ahead of weekend competition, while others have yet to arrive.

The sound of Mexico's famous mariachis filled the air at the start of the curtain-raising event, signalling the opening of the 2½-week competition. It was the host country's biggest day on the international sports stage since the 1986 World Cup.

Tradition set the backdrop for much of the ceremony, which opened with women wearing colourful, traditional dresses dancing to the sound of brass and strings with Mexican vaqueros — or cowboys — riding their mounts at a quick gallop around the centre stage.

Security was tight as soldiers armed with automatic weapons were stationed throughout the parking lot and around the venue. Spectators and media had to pass through metal detectors along the perimeter of the stadium.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was on hand after meeting with Pan Am Games officials earlier in the day. Rogge has attended the last two opening ceremonies — in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 2003, and Rio de Janeiro in 2007.

"Mexico has been a friend country that has always supported every Olympic movement," Rogge said. "I always have good memories of Mexico because I competed in the 1968 Olympic Games [in Mexico City]."

Mexican President Felipe Calderon was also in attendance, along with soccer star Rafael Marquez and boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. The ceremony lasted nearly 2½ hours and was capped by an extended fireworks display.

Calderon opened the games, standing behind a podium and reading his script in Spanish.

"With the certainty that these games symbolize a fraternal union, peace and the prosperity that we wish for all people of the Americas, I solemnly open the 16th Pan American Games," Calderon said.

The cauldron was lit by Paola Espinosa, who won a diving bronze medal three years ago at the Beijing Olympics.

Enriqueta Basilio, who lit the torch in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, was the first in a chain of former Olympians to carry the torch inside the stadium, completing the final handoff to Espinosa.

Rogge, who also competed as a sailor at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, declined to comment earlier in the day on the venues, saying he had not visited them. Many of the venues received last-minute touches on Friday, including the 8,500-seat stadium for track and field, which has faced several delays and will host its first events Oct. 23.

The Pan American Games are a quadrennial event that includes sports such as swimming, track, cycling and gymnastics. But there are other sports less familiar to many, including rugby sevens.

The smaller, faster version of 15-a-side rugby union is making its debut at the Pan American Games, and the sport will make its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro.

Rugby sevens gained its inclusion for the 2016 Games after an International Olympic Committee vote in 2009. Golf also was added. But the sports that missed out at that session will still be contested in Guadalajara, such as baseball, softball, squash, roller sports and karate.

"[Squash] should be an Olympic sport," said Colombian player Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who often trains in Toronto. "One of the problems is that it is an elitist sport. They should imitate tennis and create public courts so people can feel attracted to it."

Other non-Olympic sports at the Pan Am Games include water skiing, bowling, racquetball and pelota.

In the more traditional sports, the Games will be used by many as a chance to qualify for the London Olympics. Water polo, field hockey, team handball and shooting are some of the events that will have more than just a medal on the line.

Canada won 137 medals (39 gold, 43 silver, 55 bronze) at the 2007 Games, finishing third in the medal standings behind the United States and Brazil.

The United States, which has entered more than 600 athletes here, leads the overall Games medal count with 1,769 gold medals and 3,938 total medals. Cuba is next with 781 gold and 1,796 overall.

The first day of the Games on Saturday will feature 11 medal events, including five in the swimming pool. The track and field competition doesn't start until the second week.