The Pan American Games the year before the Olympics is a key event for Athletes in Action staff members to meet elite athletes from the Americas. Renowned as one of the leading competitions on the international sport calendar, the Games were held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 12-29. The event was attended by 5,662 athletes from 42 countries, representing 34 sports.

Twenty-two AIA staff members were scheduled to attend the Games but up to the last minute, all but four were denied access to the venues and the athletes' Village (housing complex for participants).

"From the beginning we were met with resistance," says AIA staff member Reid L., who headed up the project. "Eighteen of the staff and volunteers [of the 22 project members] arrived in Rio with almost no possibility of getting into the Village to meet with and minister to the athletes."

But during the Games, through a series of amazing events, everyone received passes to enter the Village.

"In fact, for the last week of the project the ten Brazilians and three Trinidadians received the highest level of accreditation possible-having the freedom to eat in the athletes' dining hall and to enter all of the competition venues for free," Reid says.

The project members included AIA staff members and volunteers from Honduras, Guatemala, Columbia, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and the United States. Each of them had multiple opportunities to talk to individual athletes, teams, coaches and officials.

"I was so excited to be there," says AIA staff member Cristobal C. from Guatemala, who was also at the 2003 Pan Am games. "This is helping us to [follow-up with] the elite athletes from our countries.and contact other ones.that are making an impact in [their] countries and are followed by the media."

"Cristobal really ministered to several Christian Cubans and was a tremendous encouragement in their lives," Reid says. "One female athlete had tears of joy because she had found fellow Christians in the Village."

Cristobal also talked to two soccer teams-neither of them in his native Spanish-the Jamaican women's team (in English), and a local Brazilian men's club team (in Portuguese). The entire Brazilian team prayed with Cristobal, as he encouraged them to draw strength from a relationship with Christ.

Marco J., AIA staff member from Honduras, talked to 27 athletes and coaches from several sports and countries-14 prayed and received Christ into their hearts, including a Judo Federation president.

An AIA staff member from Columbia also had many opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Riad O. met with the Colombian soccer team-all of them prayed out loud, making life commitments to Jesus Christ. Riad also met with many other Colombian athletes, more than 20 of them gave him their email addresses, wanting him to stay in contact with them.

"In the end, hundreds of athletes heard the gospel, and dozens of Christians were encouraged in their faith and strengthened in their spirit to give God the glory when they compete," Reid says. "Many doors were opened for our staff members and volunteers to carry on an effectual ministry among elite athletes when they return to their countries."

Full names of Athletes in Action staff members have been withheld to protect those serving in religious-sensitive countries. Ali's last name has also been withheld for security reasons.

Photos: Top, Guatemalan beach volleyball team. Middle, Jamaican women's soccer team. Above, Salvadorian wrestling team.

by K. Harl and Reid L.