R 267

2003 -- H 6569

Enacted 06/24/03

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING THE 2003 PAN AMERICAN GAMES AND THE TORCH JOURNEY FROM PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND TO SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Introduced By: Representatives Tejada, Fox, Rose, Almeida, and Cerra

Date Introduced: June 24, 2003

     WHEREAS, The Pan American Games opened on February 25, 1951 in Buenos Aires,

Argentina with 2,513 athletes from 21 countries; and

     WHEREAS, The governing organization, the Pan American Sports Organization

(PASO), located in Mexico City, currently includes membership of 42 nations of North, Central

and South America and the Caribbean; and

     WHEREAS, The Pan American Games are held every four years taking place one year

preceding the Olympic Games. They are second in size only to the Olympics, with all nations of

the Western Hemisphere participating; and

     WHEREAS, The Pan Am Games consist of all summer Olympic sports and non-Olympic

sports, and serve as an Olympic-qualifying event for many sports; and

     WHEREAS, On June 25th, 2003, the Pan American Games torch will be in Providence,

Rhode Island to begin its journey to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where the games will

be held this year; and

     WHEREAS, The honor of carrying the torch begins with Rhode Island State

Representative Leon F. Tejada. He will be the first person in a human chain to carry the torch on

its long journey from New England to the Caribbean; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby celebrates the 2003 Pan American Games and the beginning of the

torch journey; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the XIV Pan Am Games/Santo Domingo 2003

Committee.

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LC03531

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