Panam-Confusion and gold on first day of Games competition

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, July 14 (Reuters) The Panamerican Games competition opened today with a United States gold-medal sweep of the open water swimming events and confusion over the results.

Fifteen-year-old Chloe Sutton took the first gold medal of the 16-day multi-sport competition and was followed across the finish line a short time later by her American team mate Fran Crippen in the men's race.

But even as the two Americans waited with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, who was on hand to award the first medals, there was no official confirmation of the result.

Almost an hour earlier, Crippen had surged across the finish line at the Copacabana Beach ahead of team mate Charles Peterson only to be told he had been beaten by a Venezuelan swimmer.

After much confusion Sutton and Crippen were confirmed as the Games' first gold medallists, accepting their prizes from Rogge and former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch in front of crowds on the beach.

The 10-km open water swim will make its Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games, which both Sutton and Crippen have set as their next target.

''I've never been in a race where I came through, thought I won, came out and was told someone else had won,'' Crippen told Reuters.

Brazil also celebrated the opening day of competition with a pair of medals, Poliana Okimoto taking the silver ahead of Canada's Tanya Hunks in the women's swimming while Allan Carmo grabbed the bronze behind Peterson in the men's event.

Games officials faced a growing list of glitches.

The media centre at the open water and triathlon venue failed to open, leaving hundreds of journalists without the means to send their stories, while spectators grumbled about the traffic and long lineups to get into events.

Transportation, a traditional headache for organisers at multi-sport events, is already creaking with many buses arriving hours late or failing to appear at all.

REUTERS AGL RK2308