BUENOS AIRES -- Argentine President Juan Peron officially opened the first Pan-American games tonight in colorful ceremonies under the glare of the famous Olympic torch.
Start of actual competition in the games, originally scheduled for tomorrow, was put off until Tuesday to permit 19 late-arriving U. S. athletes to rest. Their plane had been delayed enroute to Buenos Aires.
More than 3,000 athletes from 19 nations stood at attention on the grass field of the 130,000-seat soccer stadium named in his honor as Peron delivered a welcome and extolled the significance of sports in building national character.
Peron Delivers Address
A two-hundred man military band burst into martial music while flags of the participating nations were hoisted throughout the vast stadium and the various delegations paraded around the field.
After Peron delivered his address, Greek Athlete John Sossidis ran across the field carrying the Olympic torch -- flown from Athens -- to light the Pan-American torch. Peron was presented with an olive branch, and his wife, Eva, received a bouquet of flowers from the delegations.
Seventeen events are listed in the games, which will continue until March 8.
U.S. To Enter 15 Events
The United States has a 128-man delegation at the games -- spread out in fifteen of the events. Argentina has a huge entry of over 300 athletes and Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Venezuela also have sizable entries.
The Stars and Stripes will be represented in men's and women's track, basketball, baseball, men's and women's swimming, wrestling, boxing, fencing, weight-lifting, penthalon, shooting, water polo and gymnastics.
Argentine expectations for a huge flow of foreign tourists apparently have not been filled. Although sports enthusiasts from neighboring South American countries have drifted into the Argentine capital for the games, expected U. S. interest has not materialized
