Princeton 2023

PRINCETON 2023 THE XIX PAN-AMERICAN GAMES

Soar to your dreams

Table of Contents 1 - Introduction 2 - Bid Concept 3 - Venue Plan 5 - Legacy

Introduction The town of Princeton was founded in the late 1600’s during the creation of counties by the settlers of the independent colonies known as East Jersey and West Jersey. The university that put Princeton into the spotlight, Princeton University, was founded in 1746. The college brought in students from all over the original thirteen colonies of the United States, and later would bring in students from around the globe to this provincial college town.

History has always been made in the Princeton area.

The decisive Battle of Princeton was fought between the Revolutionaries and the British Soldiers in 1777 and later hosted the State Legislature that practically created the New Jersey state identity.

Being a NCAA Division 1 School and an Ivy League School as well, Princeton University had the need for sporting venues that could handle the daily strains of top athletes and competitions they host.

More recently, the state of New Jersey hosted the 2014 Special Olympics USA, where the Aquatic and Athletic events were held on campus. Other events like Gymnastics, Basketball, Soccer, Tennis, and the Triathlon were held in the Princeton area. This experience gave Princeton the confidence to approach this bidding process knowing they had what it took to host remarkable games.

Bid Concept Princeton has been eager to find the thrill of hosting it had during the 2014 Special Olympics USA brought the town. Therefore, the town first reached out to the town and state governments for approval to create a committee to research feasibility for the games. With unanimous approval, a committee of townsfolk, local business leaders, government officials and athletes created this bid with one thing in mind: the people.

Before anything was done after the approval, a referendum was conducted among the entire Princeton area, then in the state. Surprisingly, the referendum retuned strong results, with only a 19% disapproval rate, 76% approval rate, and a 5% undecided. This gave the bid committee the confidence to move along with it’s plan knowing their games for the people were wanted by those people.

The bid was then developed with constant input by athletes and townsfolk, allowing for a games that were welcoming to visitors and those who already lived in the town. Finally, the bid was granted a motto that was created during a contest in the area’s schools. The winning motto was, “Soar to your dream”.

Venue Plan These games are designed around the Princeton University Stadium that will be redeveloped into a multi-use, 80,000 seat stadium that will be downgraded to 65,000 after the games. 65% of the venues are located within the Princeton Area, while the 35% is located elsewhere in the state and, for football, the nation.

View the maps below to see where the venues will be located. Existing venues (requiring updates) are marked with a “^”and temporary venues are marked with a “*”. All other venues are new.

Pan-America Park Cluster

Mercer County Park Cluster

Princeton Junction Cluster

Pan-America Park Cluster 1-The Princeton Olympic Stadium (Athletics,Ceremonies, Football Final)[80,000]^ 2-The Princeton Aquatics Center (Aquatics,Modern Pentathlon) [14,000]^ 3-New Jersey Gymnasium (Gymnastics)[17,000] 4- Pan-American Village (Athletes and Media)[20,000] 5- Pan-America Hall A (Indoor Volleyball,Handball)[7,000] 6- Pan-America Hall B (Badminton,Basketball)[7,000] 7- Princeton Forum (Weightlifting)[5,000]* 8- Founder’s Field (field hockey)[14,000]^ 9- The New Jersey Tennis Coliseum (tennis)[30,000] 10- IBC and MBC [~20,000] Mercer County Park Cluster 1-Finn S. Caspersen Rowing Center (Rowing/Canoe Sprint)[25,000]^ 2-Mercer Oaks Golf Course (Golf)[35,000]^ 3-Mercer Beach Volleyball Stadium (Beach Volleyball) [10,000]* 4-Mercer Lake Bowl (Equestrian,Modern Pentathlon) [19,000]* 5-The Mercer Velodrome (Track Cycling,Roller Skating) [6,000] 6-The Mercer BMX Park (BMX Cycling)[5,000]* 7-The Pan-American Archery Field (Archery)[4,500]* 8-Mercer Lake+Mercer County Park(Triathlon)[varies]

Princeton Junction Cluster 1-The Pan-American Expo (Boxing,Fencing,Judo,Table Tennis, Taekwondo,Wrestling,Modern Pentathlon)[2,500-5,000] 2-The Pan-American Shooting Range (Shooting)[6,000]* 3-Grover’s Mill Pond Gymnasium (Racquetball,Squash)[3,500]*

Outside the County -The Cape May Aquatics Arena (Sailing, Canoe Slalom,Water Skiing)[12,000] -Trenton Baseball/Softball Stadium(currently Arm & Hammer Park)(Baseball,Softball) [45,000] -Pan-American Rugby Fields(currently Red Bull Arena and surrounding areas)(rugby sevens)[25,000] -The East Windsor Bowl and Recreational Center (bowling)[1,500] -The New Jersey Stadium(currently Met-Life Stadium)(Football)[82,566]

Transportation The State of New Jersey has the largest statewide transportation system in the United States. This means that it does not just exist within a single city, but the entire state. One can travel from one end to the other without setting foot on a gas pedal. There are many links to the major cities and airports of the area, including Philadelphia, New York City, and Newark, that all have direct lines to Princeton Junction Station.

The American rail system, Amtrak, also has connections to stations that will allow simple transfers to New Jersey Transit trains to Princeton. These connections by plane and rail will allow less cars to be used for transportation and more stimulus to the areas thriving public transportation economy.

As of today, Princeton University is renovating a line from Princeton Junction Station to the center of Princeton, know as the “Dinky� by the locals. This train line, completed by Fall 2017, it will allow all athletes and spectators to relax as they ride the rails of both urban and rural New Jersey to their home for the games.

A shuttle bus service will be incorporated for both the games and legacy that will connect Princeton Junction and Mercer County Park, allowing athletes and spectators to quickly and calmly to the venues in the park.

Accommodation

There are dozens of hotels in the Princeton area and even more within the county. Given the compact nature of New Jersey, there will always be somewhere to go once the events end. Also, it will only be a short ride on public transport and even short walks to the venues of the games, depending on where one stays.

The culture of Princeton shows a town full of quaint restaurants and cafes, shops for everything you could ever want, movies, concerts, and live sites throughout the area. There will never be a quiet moment in the atmosphere of these games. Even as you sleep in your many 4 star hotel rooms, new events for the next day are already being readied for you.

Why Princeton?

Princeton is a pure representation of small town America, a view not seen by media or by previous hosts. We want to show the world that the East Coast is not just New York, but that there is culture, sport, and entertainment all along.

We will host economical games, using many temporary and existing facilities. We will also be a very green games, using public transport to move spectators and athletes across the town.

We will give way to a legacy that will inspire the young of Princeton to reach to compete in the games in the future.

We promise to deliver. We promise to inspire. We promise that Princeton will be the right choice for you.