Province touts Pan Am Games success

TORONTO—The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games may be over, but the province is still reeling from its success, touting the games as the most successful ever.

Team Canada won a record 217 medals and Ontario athletes had a strong showing, with 109 medals, reads a release.

But beyond the field of play, the Games also provided an opportunity to showcase newly renovated or brand new venues for both athletes and spectators alike. These venues will now become legacy facilities, providing space for their respective communities. The Athletes’ Village will transform into the Canary District, a new Toronto neighbourhood.

"The 25 new and renovated sports facilities — such as the Cisco Milton Pan Am/Parapan Am Velodrome and the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House — will serve as world-class training sites for the community and for future national teams, and will also be available for public use," reads a release.

What’s more, after much talk about transportation and the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, the province reports that more than 85 per cent of spectators said they were satisfied with their transportation experience.

"Travel times in general-purpose lanes improved as drivers adapted to the introduction of the HOV lanes," notes the release.

More than 1 million tickets were sold for the 36 sporting events in 15 municipalities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe and more than 1 million people attended celebrations at seven sites, like PANAMANIA Live at Nathan Philips Square.

The province states the Games are expected to create 26,000 jobs and boost Ontario’s real GDP by $3.7 billion from 2009 to 2017.

But the action isn’t over, just yet. From Aug. 7 to 15, Ontario will again host top athletes from the Americas and the Caribbean. About 3,200 athletes and officials from 28 countries and territories will compete in 16 sports at the largest-ever Parapan Am Games.