Series: 6 Reasons We’re Excited for TORONTO2015 (Part 4)
So far on our list of reasons to look forward to the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games: they’ll draw fresh athletic talent, set a new standard for inclusion in sport, and spotlight Toronto as a great international city. Our fourth reason TO2015 will be a great success for Toronto is the lasting impact that the massive investment in the GTHA sporting community will have on the region’s athletes. Only 3 days left on the countdown clock!
4. Leave a Legacy for Current and Future Athletes
Hearing former Olympic swimmer Julia Wilkinson speak at the Toronto Region Board of Trade ignited our thinking about the numerous positives of hosting the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. Wilkinson competed at the 2008 and 2012 summer Olympics and is now the Coordinator of Athlete Engagement for TO2015. She has retired from competitive sport but continues to advocate for appropriate facilities and support for Canadian athletes.
Wilkinson is excited for the Games because they are bringing much needed athletic infrastructure to the city, meaning more athletes will be able to train and compete at home. Wilkinson, who grew up in Stratford, Ontario, recalled few chances to swim at home when she was competing at the international level, largely due to a lack of adequate facilities. Thanks to TO2015, the Toronto region has a brand new aquatic complex, field house, velodrome, and athletics stadium, and many more upgraded facilities, all of which will be accessible to local athletes when the Games are over.
A $70 million legacy fund was created jointly by the Government of Canada and Province of Ontario to ensure 20 years of operational and capital maintenance support for TO2015 athletic venues post-Games. The federal government contributed $65 million while the province gave $5 million. The fund will be overseen by the Toronto Community Foundation and will allow elite athletes access to state-of-the-art training facilities for the next two decades. This is excellent news for athletes who would otherwise have to leave friends and family and incur travel expenses to go elsewhere, or otherwise sacrifice top-notch training to stay close to home. More national and international teams will congregate in Toronto to use its state-of-the-art infrastructure, while international sport organizations will consider Toronto as a host city for future events. As a result of these new resources, Ontario and Canada as a whole will be better positioned to produce more world class athletes.
Beyond increasing athlete potential, the infrastructure required for TO2015 has laid a strong framework that makes Toronto a viable contender for future Olympic bids. Several venues, including the CIBC Aquatic Centre and Field House, Cisco Milton Velodrome and CIBC Athletics Stadium, are internationally sanctioned and Olympic-calibre. In December 2014, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) put forth several reforms that put Toronto in a better position to make a successful bid than their past two attempts. Most notably, in the face of sky-high bids and lucrative construction costs for past and upcoming Olympics, the IOC is encouraging the use of existing venues to reduce the financial burden. In that sense, TO2015 may be the key to bringing Toronto its first Olympic Games.
The benefits of the Games will be reaped long after the competition has concluded. The top-notch new and upgraded venues will attract athletes and sports organizations alike and even make Toronto a contender for the most prestigious sporting event in the world.
Get your TO2015 tickets today and check back tomorrow for reason #5.
