Thousands of athletes from all over the world will converge on Cleveland July 12-21, 2024, for the Pan-American Masters Games.
This year’s games are being hosted by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. The games bill themselves as an opportunity to showcase competitive spirit and athletic ability on a global stage.
“Anyone over the age of 30 can register,” said Rachael Stenz-Baugher, senior vice president of community and corporate engagement at the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and the executive director of this year’s games. “You don’t have to qualify or be of a particular skill level. All of the competitions are organized by age category or age group. In some cases, we also have competitive or recreational divisions.”
The games usually take place every four years. The last competition was set to take place in Brazil but was canceled due to the pandemic.
This year’s Pan American Masters Games feature 22 different sports at a series of locations in the Cleveland area. The Huntington Convention Center will serve as the primary venue. Sports will range from track and field to karate.
“We’ve got athletes from over 70 different countries, and that’s really exciting for us,” Stenz-Baugher said. “We anticipated international athletes, but we had no idea where they would be coming from. We’ve got athletes coming from all these different places, every corner of the earth, to come and compete in Cleveland.”
According to Stenz-Baugher, 4,000-5,000 athletes are expected to compete. Participants are typically accompanied by one to two people. That means Cleveland could see around ten thousand people in connection with the games. She also said that the games are important for the city due to their economic impact.
“We host these events here, and people travel here from outside the market,” Stenz-Baugher said. “They spend their money at our restaurants, at our attractions, in our city. And that helps everyone because that’s how new money comes into our economy.”
Stenz-Baugher also looks forward to having a chance to show off Cleveland.
“When we can bring people to Cleveland and they can experience it themselves, they fall in love with it and they realize what a wonderful, vibrant, beautiful, accessible and affordable city it is,” Stenz-Baugher said. “It’s hard to tell that story if someone has never been to Cleveland.”
The games present a unique opportunity for Cleveland, Stenz-Baugher said.
“This is kind of a one-shot deal for us,” Stenz-Baugher said. “The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission drives tourism through sports, so we’re always looking for new events to bring to Cleveland.”
The Pan-American Masters Games are free and open to the public.