Topic: 2015 Pan Am Games

[Shaun Le Conte]

Toronto and surrounding area (the "Golden Horseshoe") is closer to deciding whether it will bid on hosting the 2015 Pan American Games. So far there are three announced candidates: Caracas, Venezuela; Bogotá, Colombia; and Lima, Peru. A pair of cities in Honduras are also considering hosting.

The 2011 Pan Am Games will be in Guadalajara, Mexico.

--------------------------------------

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/413691

Province lends support to 2015 Pan Am Games bid
Jim Byers
City Hall Bureau

Queen's Park has sent the Canadian Olympic Committee a letter of support for a Pan American Games bid for southern Ontario.

In a move that further strengthens the chance of a Golden Horseshoe bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games, deputy Health Promotion minister Cynthia Morton wrote in a letter to the COC that Premier Dalton McGuinty and Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best "are fully supportive of a provincial leadership role in the development of a business case to assess the viability of a successful bid."

"The Premier has asked this Ministry to take the next steps to assess the federal and municipal commitment to a fiscally sound bid," Morton wrote.

The letter noted that the province is "very impressed with the level of engagement and excitement amongst the affected communities and their leaders."

In addition, it states that Queen's Park is reviewing southern Ontario's sports infrastructure to gauge what's needed to host the games and "establish a sound sports legacy for the future of all Ontarians."

The COC's executive is pushing for a southern Ontario bid and the full COC board is expected to endorse the concept at a meeting in Calgary on Saturday.

In addition to the COC letter, Queen's Park this week sent letters to municipal leaders advising them that they're continuing to study a bid and that a decision could come in late June.

The COC has estimated the Games could cost $1.5 to $2 billion. Early plans call for sports to be spread out from Toronto to Hamilton to St. Catharines, which could help attract support from the federal Tories.

The Pan Am Games are held every four years and attract athletes from 42 countries in North and South America and the Caribbean. Some 5,500 athletes attended last year's games in Rio de Janeiro and took part in some three dozen sports.