Havana, Cuba, was also interested, but PASO appeased Fidel Castro, who had threatened to boycott the games, by agreeing to give Havana the 1991 games provided that Cuba participated at Indianapolis.
(meta data) TITLE: Brawlers, provocateurs, even assassins: How Indy became a sports town (meta data) AUTHOR: Will Higgins SUBSCRIBE NOWfor full access Get the news # Brawlers, provocateurs, even assassins: How Indy became a sports town Will Higgins, will.higgins@indystar.com Published 6:00 a.m. ET Aug. 6, 2017 Mark Miles, president of Hulman & Company, tells the story of why he has a partial box of Cohiba Cuban cigars, sent to him by Fidel Castro during his time as president of PAX-I, the planning committee for the '87 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Jenna Watson/IndyStar Buy Photo Police restrain a Cuban player during a shouting match with checkers in the stands during their game with Puerto Rico, August 9, 1987.(Photo: IndyStar file)Buy Photo Cuba was a communist dictatorship with little regard for human rights and was widely reviled in the U.S. But it had a terrific baseball team and fine boxers in every weight class. That put Indianapolis in a tough spot as the city planned for one of the biggest moments in its history, hosting the 1987 Pan American Games. The games' opening ceremony was Aug. 8, 1987, 30 years ago Tuesday. Cuban athletes were perennial Pan Am Games powerhouses. The Cuban baseball team hadn't lost a Pan Am game since 1967. But Cuba had been the enemy of the U.S. since 1959 when the Soviet-friendly Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba's U.S.-friendly government. If Cuban teams came now to the U.S., to Indianapolis, there'd be security headaches and maybe even international-level trouble. But if the Cubans didn't come — they were threatening a boycott because they had wanted to host the '87 games — the games would be uninteresting and nobody, not network TV or other media, would pay much attention to them, or to Indianapolis. State Fair: 10 new Indiana State Fair foods that will make you cry tears of joy Life of Indy's rich eccentrics: When the 'House of Blue Lights' millionaire died, this man stepped in Cold War politics and sports was a thrilling mix, and these games — 38 nations, 36 sports, 4,500 athletes — were to be Indianapolis' big debut on athletics' main stage, an important part of the city's long-term strategy to remake its blah image and fashion itself a "sports capital." Also, pragmatism aside, "international sporting events like the Olympics, like the Pan Am Games, are supposed to be above politics," said Mark Miles, who was president of Indianapolis' organizing committee, called PAX-I. "Boycotts are inconsistent with their aims." Cuba was essential either way you looked at it. So Miles and a small contingent from PAX-I traveled to Havana on a mission to change Castro's mind about the boycott. "We were treated royally," Miles said 30 years later. "They showed us all around, they took us to Cuban baseball games and gave us Cuban baseball uniforms." But two days into the visit, when it was nearly time to go home, the Hoosiers were no closer to their goal. They hadn't laid eyes on Castro. Then: "Midnight, the night before departure, there's a knock on the hotel door," said Miles, "and we're told, 'You're wanted for a meeting.' We go down to the lobby, get into a Russian car and are driven to the Palace de la Revolucion. We went up an elevator and into a holding room and cooled our heels for about 20 minutes. An aid came in and said, 'Follow me.' "We go down a hall, and we are in Fidel Castro's office, and he's standing in full uniform, greeting us." It was after 1 a.m. Castro was a night owl, and a talker. "The meeting was about three hours, 20 minutes," Miles said, "and he spoke for three hours and 10 minutes of it." Castro wanted to talk about baseball and as he was the only dictator in the room, baseball was talked about. A photo of Mark Miles and Sandy Knapp ahead of the Pan Am Games, held in Indianapolis in 1987. (Photo: Provided by Mark Miles) "I remember thinking, 'Here we are, with Fidel Castro, and there's so much at stake,'" said Sandy Knapp, PAXI-I's vice chairman, "and we're having this elaborate conversation about metal bats versus wooden bats Knapp remembers Castro's hands and how they contrasted with the rest of him. He was 6-2 and was wearing what he often wore in photographs, olive-drab battle fatigues, the pants tucked into big black boots. But his hands, while "large, man-sized," were also "manicured, smooth, so … artistic." Castro and Miles connected when Castro observed that Miles was young for such an important assignment. Miles, who was 30 at the time, said: "I'm about the age you were when you took Havana." Castro smiled. Castro softened his stance on the boycott, and after being assured the games would be televised in Cuba and that the next Pan Am Games, in 1991, would be held in Havana, he agreed to send his athletes to Indianapolis. At that moment, the development seemed like a blessing. Later, it seemed like a curse. "We knew trouble was going to come," said Paul Annee, who was Indianapolis' police chief in 1987, "but to the extent it did was a bit surprising." And the suddenness. At the opening ceremony — 80,000 spectators, Vice President George H.W. Bush, the International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch, CBS Sports broadcasting live — a small airplane came into view. It was towing a banner urging Cuban athletes to defect. Castro's fiercest critics were former Cubans who'd escaped his regime and fled to south Florida. In August 1987, dozens of angry Cuban expats descended on Indianapolis to take advantage of a rare opportunity to confront their tormentor, if only by proxy, through his athletes. Cuban teams hadn't competed in the U.S. since Castro came to power. Buy Photo Cuban athletes arrive at Indianapolis International Airport for the Pan Am Games on August 4, 1987. (Photo: John Gentry/Indianapolis News) It was the expats who hired the airplane. It was they who the next day at a baseball game at Bush Stadium between Cuba and the Netherlands Antilles taunted the Cuban players and hurled leaflets offering defectors cash. In the melee that followed, a bystander was injured and had to be taken to the hospital, but Indianapolis police prevented an all-out brawl by grabbing the Cuban ballplayers and preventing them from wading into the seats. Later, in a game against Puerto Rico, several Cubans made it into the stands and were climbing toward hecklers when police restrained them. Police were slower to react at a boxing match at the Indiana Convention Center. Witnesses told the Indianapolis Star that as many as a dozen Cuban pugilists "rushed into the stands and struck (anti-Castro) demonstrators who taunted them." Light heavyweight Pablo Romero, who'd defeated Evander Holyfield in the 1983 Pan Am Games, "was seen pummeling a man as other Cuban boxers, all wearing bright red warmup suits with blue and white stripes, appeared to join the fray," the Star wrote. And: "Police said they could not estimate how many people were involved in the melee, but possibly 100 spectators were affected." Two were hospitalized. The host city was anxious. "We wanted to be proud of hosting the Pan Am Games," said Annee. "We didn't want our city to be placed on the map for hosting something that got out of hand. We absolutely did not want a political event. We wanted this to be a sporting event." Manuel Gonzalez Guerra, 73, Cuba's top sports official, who had himself been verbally accosted in the elevator of his hotel, publicly asked the game's organizers to keep the anti-Castro Cuban-Americans away from the competitions. Annee had a sit-down with Guerra's security chief, Armando Giurolo. "Armando said, 'We know and you know who the troublemakers are. Why don't you get them and lock them up until the games are over?' Buy Photo Police restrain a Cuban player after a shouting match with hecklers at the Pan Am Games escalated into a brawl in the stands August 9, 1987. (Photo: IndyStar file) "I had to tell Armando, 'We do things differently here.'" A bad U.S.-Cuba vibe wasn't the only potential source of unrest for the 1987 Pan Am Games. Central America was in a state of turmoil. Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala were fighting civil wars. Governments in Honduras and Chile were rounding up, torturing and killing dissidents by the thousands. All those countries sent teams to Indianapolis. "A couple days before the opening ceremony, an undersecretary of state tells us, 'A horrible mistake has been made,'" said Miles. The U.S. State Department had intended to deny visas to two Chilean athletes but somehow forgot. "So it turns out we have a Chilean equestrian and a Chilean shooter who are both part of the Chilean military that our government views as assassins," Miles said. "I believe they stayed and participated." More fascinating and little-known sports history: Indiana's deadliest speedway But they didn't assassinate anybody, and by the third week of the games, the Cuban hostilities had cooled. Miles credited a call to the Reagan White House, which then pressured the anti-Castro organizations in Miami to cease. The Pan Am Games hummed along in its final days without incident. Except for one thing. Indy evades international incident, becomes sports mecca Fullscreen #### Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. A photo of Mark Miles and Fidel Castro, ahead of the Pan Am Games, held in Indianapolis in 1987. Miles was president of the games' organizing committee. Provided by Mark MilesFullscreenBuy PhotoCuban athletes arrive at Indianapolis International Airport for the Pan Am Games on August 4, 1987. John Gentry/ Indianapolis NewsBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoCarl Lewis earned gold medtals in long jump and the 4x100 meter relay at the 1987 Pan Am Games in Indianapolis. Indianapolis NewsBuy PhotoFullscreenA photo of Mark Miles and President Ronald Reagan during the Pan Am Games, held in Indianapolis in 1987. Provided by Mark MilesFullscreenBuy PhotoPolice restrain a Cuban player during a shouting match with hecklers in the stands during their game with Puerto Rico, August 9, 1987. IndyStar fileBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoThe Cuban baseball team runs around Bush Stadium prior to their game in the 1987 Pan Am Games in Indianapolis. Jim Young/The NewsBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoCuba's pitcher Pablo Abreau, 1987 Pan Am Games. Jim Young/The NewsBuy PhotoFullscreenA ball given to Mark Miles, autographed by the Cuban baseball team, photographed at Miles' Indianapolis home, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. Miles was the president of PAX-I, the planning committee for the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Provided by Mark MilesFullscreenBuy PhotoGreg Louganis earned gold in the 3 meter springboard and 10 meter platform in the 1987 Pan Am Games in Indianapolis. Rich Miller/ The Indianapolis NewsBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoPolice restrain a Cuban player after a shouting match with hecklers at the Pan Am Games escalated into a brawl in the stands August 9, 1987. IndyStar fileBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoAn article about Mark Miles in The Indianapolis Star Miles was president of the Pan Am Games organizing committee in Indianapolis in 1987. The Indianapolis StarBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoMark Miles and Sandy Knapp discuss Pan Am Games plans. May 5, 1987 Tim Halcomb/Indianapolis NewsBuy PhotoFullscreenThe box of Cohiba Cuban cigars sent to Mark Miles by Fidel Castro, photographed at Miles' Indianapolis home, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. Miles was the president of PAX-I, the planning committee for the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Provided by Provided by Mark MilesFullscreenBuy PhotoFormer President George Bush addresses the crowd via video during the 25th Anniversary of the 1987 Pan American Games Celebration Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, on Georgia Street. Danese Kenon/IndyStarBuy PhotoFullscreenA photo of Mark Miles and Sandy Knapp ahead of the Pan Am Games, held in Indianapolis in 1987. Provided by Mark MilesFullscreenMark Miles, president of Human & Company, poses with the box of Cohiba Cuban cigars given to him by Fidel Castro, and at right, the torch from the 1987 Pan American Games, photographed at Miles' Indianapolis home, Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Miles was the president of PAX-I, the planning committee for the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Provided by Mark MilesFullscreenThe box of Cohiba Cuban cigars sent to Mark Miles by Fidel Castro, photographed at Miles' Indianapolis home, Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Miles was the president of PAX-I, the planning committee for the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Provided by Provided by Mark MilesFullscreen ### Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries: Replay1 of 192 of 193 of 194 of 195 of 196 of 197 of 198 of 199 of 1910 of 1911 of 1912 of 1913 of 1914 of 1915 of 1916 of 1917 of 1918 of 1919 of 19AutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide PAX-I had hired Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine to perform at the closing ceremony. Estefan was Cuban-born. She and her family had fled the country when Castro came to power. Her father had remained and been imprisoned. She was an outspoken Castro critic. PAX-I officials said they hired Estefan only because she was an entertainer sure to please the athletes. Her album, "Let It Loose," released two months earlier (the hit was "Rhythm is Gonna Get You"), went platinum. The Cubans, offended nevertheless, threatened to boycott the closing ceremony. But in the end, they attended. Their protest came down to this: They refused to dance. The Cubans had won 175 medals, 75 of them gold. Only the U.S. had more (370, 169). In baseball, the Cubans beat the Americans in the gold medal game, 13-9 (after trailing 9-8 in the sixth inning). In boxing, Cuba won 10 gold medals. Indianapolis had a lot to celebrate: Run by a small executive staff and a huge army of 35,000 volunteers, these Pan Am Games were the first Pan Am Games in history not to lose money (the enterprise broke even). Some $175 million came into the local economy. Twenty-six hours of major network TV coverage drew international attention to Indianapolis; some 1,600 journalists covered the games and filed stories with Indianapolis datelines. There were some important moments in sports, too: Greg Louganis won two gold medals, as did Carl Lewis. Jackie Joyner-Kersee won one. Jim Abbott, the pitcher born without a right hand, led the U.S. baseball team to a silver medal (and at one point, chuckling, compared Castro to Michigan's legendary football coach Bo Schembechler — "they both have that same air of intimidation"). Indianapolis was transformed into a genuine sports capital. Since the 1987 Pan Am Games, the city has become the permanent home of numerous sports governing bodies, including the NCAA. It has hosted six men's Final Fours, Super Bowl XLVI and many other competitions. Call IndyStar reporter Will Higgins at (317) 444-6043. Follow him on Twitter: @WillRHiggins. Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2wwGyzFShare your feedback to help improve our site experience! ###### More Stories ###### Engagements: Allis Koester & Samuel James Jeffrey Otley Aug. 11, 2019, 12:02 a.m. ###### Anniversaries: James Jones & Goldie Jones Aug. 11, 2019, 12:02 a.m. ###### Anniversaries: Willard (Gene) Givan & Marcia Givan Aug. 18, 2019, 12:04 a.m. ###### Anniversaries: John Phillips & Helen Phillips June 23, 2019, 3:30 a.m. ###### Anniversaries: Kenneth White & Drew White April 28, 2019, 12:05 a.m. ###### Anniversaries: Reverend Thomas Paino & Lois Paino May 19, 2019, 12:09 a.m.
train20954
1987 Pan American Games
Host city selection.
Santiago, Chile, was originally named the host of the tenth Pan American Games, but it withdrew in 1983 due to the political and financial problems. Quito, Ecuador, was named to replace Santiago, but it also withdrew, in late 1984.  Desperate, PASO held a new election. Indianapolis was planning to bid on the 1991 Games, but, at the request of the United States Olympic Committee, submitted a bid for 1987. Since many sports facilities were already in place, PASO announced on December 18, 1984, that Indianapolis would be the host.