Puerto Vallarta will host triathlon, sailing, volleyball and open-sea swimming during Pan American Games 2011, expected to take place primarily in Guadalajara, according to State Sport Counsel Director Carlos Andrade. The local beach known as “Playa Flamingos” will be the likely headquarter for the volleyball games. The organizing committee is presently looking to secure all pertinent permits and researching the acquisition of specialized sand. "Puerto Vallarta will benefit from substantial international promotion during the next four years,” said Carlos Andrade.

The Pan American Games, second only to the Olympics as the biggest international sports competition in the world, are held every four years (during the year prior to the Summer Olympics) under the sponsorship of the International Olympic Committee. The first Games were scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires in 1943, but World War II caused them to be postponed until 1951. Since then, the Games have been held every four years, with participation at the most recent event at over 5,000 athletes from 42 countries.