Former Mexican Olympian Ivar Sisniega first came to San Antonio in 1977 to train for modern pentathlon .
Now 53, the veteran sports administrator in Mexico worked the past five years as director of sports and activities of the Pan American Games ,happy hour pan antonio which begin Friday in Guadalajara.
happy hour pan antonio Earlier this summer, Sisniega talked about his career and the challenges of organizing an international sports competition :happy hour pan antonio
What are your favorite memories of competition in San Antonio ?pan antonio happy hour
Well ,happy hour pan antonio this is where I really started my career pentathlon .happy hour pan antonio I discovered when I was pentathlon (University ) at Stanford. But the first time I participated in a summer camp in 1977 , Fort Mon So that was really where I started. I have many friends who I am still in touch with the times .happy hour pan antonio
And of course ,happy hour pan antonio I think the highlight for me was when I came back in 1981 ..... and actually won the U.S. National Championships , Competing for Mexico , no doubt. But it was one of the points ,happy hour pan antonio beating a lot of people that I considered and still consider very strongly.
happy hour pan antonio The records indicate that you raced here several times in 1980 and once in 1990 . How many events do you think did in San Antonio ?happy hour pan antonio
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At least 15 or 20 . Now that you mention it, I forgot the most important thing , the last race of my career , Pan Am ( pentathlon ) championships in 1990 .happy hour pan antonio I did not know at that time that I would retire . But it turned out to be the last . So I started and finished my career there .happy hour pan antonio
You were in three Olympic Games of Mexico in 1980 , '84 and '88 . Do you have a difficult time ?
I would say that 1984 was my best time in Los Angeles . I carried the flag of Mexico in the opening and was in the fight for a medal ceremony . Our team finished seventh and finished fifth. Being so close to the money, you always want to win. However, it was my best Olympic performance .happy hour pan antonio
Why do you have to train and compete in masters swimming ?
happy hour pan antonio I do not train really hard for me. But it is a fun sport . I see old friends every six months for Mexican Nationals ( Mexico ) . And is the only sport I've done in the pentathlon , and I can still do it and not get hurt . For me , it's a life sport .
Obviously , you had a distinguished career in sports administration - Minister of Sport in Mexico 1994-2000 , president of the soccer club Chivas .happy hour pan antonio Can you talk about what you do with the Pan American Games ?
I was with the Pan American Games in the last five years.pan antonio happy hour ..... It was very busy and it gets busier .happy hour pan antonio We put on a great Pan American Games in October. It's hard to go back after Rio ( de Janeiro , the host city in 2007 ) . But we hope people will be happy with what they see.happy hour pan antonio
pan antonio happy hour After five years of your current position , how you feel all the time and effort you have put into this project ?
It was not easy .pan antonio happy hour You know, the Pan American Games as the Olympic Games , sometimes politicized (with) the power struggles and all.happy hour pan antonio But we were able to move forward. And I think we'll be ready . It will be a grand opening ceremony and the major parties. And we hope that people will have a great time here and things are going well. This is what we work for .happy hour pan antonio
pan antonio happy hour Much of the international discourse about games focuses on safety. There is much discussion in San Antonio on border violence. Gang violence is something that affects the Pan American Games marketing efforts ?pan antonio happy hour
Well,pan antonio happy hour not really affecting marketing efforts . We have surpassed the efforts of Rio , which set a new standard for the Pan American Games . We are thinking between marketing , TV rights and ticket sales , we have more than 60 million dollars, which is the figure that Rio had. Also considering the financial crisis two years ago , we are very pleased with the marketing effort .pan antonio happy hour
pan antonio happy hour The city of Guadalajara is one of the safest cities in Mexico . Gang violence actually lies in the northern part of the country. Of course , in games of this magnitude is concerned about safety. But I really do not think the city has a security threat in itself , as we see now .
As a former athlete, how it affects your perspective on these games ? Do you feel the juices flowing , so to speak ,pan antonio happy hour when an event like this is about ?
pan antonio happy hour You still continue to compete in the games come around . But I also recognize that the phase ( of my life) is over and I have to concentrate on doing the job properly and ensure that athletes have a good time here in Guadalajara.pan antonio happy hour
