The 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto will benefit all of Canada, says a Toronto 2015 bid committee director.
“Toronto’s Games will be Canada’s Games, the federal government has made some commitments already,” said five-time Olympian Charmaine Crooks in a telephone interview. “There are summer athletes all across Canada who are going to be focusing now on these Games, because it’s the year before the 2016 (Olympics) in Brazil.”
Toronto was awarded the Games, second only in size to the Summer Olympics, at the Pan American Sports Organization convention in Guadalajara, Mexico on Friday. It scored a first-ballot victory with 33 votes over Lima, Peru (11) and Bogota, Colombia (7).
Presidents of 42 national Olympic committees in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean were eligible to cast ballots. Previous Pan Am host countries got a second vote. Toronto 2015 will make Canada the first three-time host after it staged the 1967 and 1999 Games in Winnipeg.
The Games are estimated to cost $1.4 billion to build and operate plus $1 billion for an athletes’ village. Toronto made unsuccessful bids for the 1996 and 2008 Olympics.
North Vancouver's Crooks, who won silver in athletics at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics, joined rhythmic gymnast Alexandra Orlando and Canadian Paralympic Committee president Carla Qualtrough onstage for Toronto’s presentation. Crooks was also a speaker when Vancouver made its successful 2010 Winter Olympics bid to the International Olympic Committee in Prague six years ago.
“This is a great day for all sport in Canada, for athletes from coast-to-coast. We’re almost done Vancouver and here we get to ramp up and begin a countdown for a great summer sport,” said Crooks, a director of the Vancouver 2010 organizing committee. “I’m sure there’s lessons learned from VANOC that will be shared with Toronto.”
Other presenters included Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller, federal minister of state for sport Gary Lunn and Toronto 2015 leader David Peterson.
More than 5,000 athletes are expected to attend the 17th Pan American Games July 10-26, 2015 in Toronto and its suburbs. At the 2007 Rio de Janeiro Games, Canada was fourth in medals standings with 39 gold, 44 silver and 55 bronze.
Toronto 2015 is expected to be promoted during February's 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver at a $9 million Ontario tourism pavilion near B.C. Place Stadium and General Motors Place.
