(Photo credit: PNH Solutions)

The first Pan American Games was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1951. That year the host country topped the medal standings with 154 (68 gold, 47 silver, 39 bronze). Every subsequent Games, with the exception of the 1991 Pan American Games in La Habana, Cuba, the US has dominated the medals race, including most recently at the 2011 Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Canada broke into the top 3 in 1963 with 62 medals (10 gold, 27 silver, 25 bronze) and has managed to maintain a place there ever since save for the last two Games in 2011 and 2007. In 2011, Canada came in 5th with 119 medals (30 gold, 40 silver, 49 bronze). That same year the US won 236; Brazil, 141; Cuba, 136; and Mexico, 133.

The Pan American Games features athletes from North, Central and South America, along with the Caribbean. Competition is governed by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) which is comprised of 42 member countries. This year around 7,000 athletes will compete in 36 sports as Toronto hosts the 17th Pan American Games at a cost of $1.4 billion dollars.