Well as quickly as they arrived, they are over. Toronto’s 2015 Pan American Games are in the history books, and what a great chapter they are for Canadian sports.
Not only were the Games an unprecedented success for Canadian athletes, but also in the end they did create a buzz in a city that rarely allows itself to get excited about something.
In previous posts I mentioned the pessimistic grumblings of many before the Games began. Concerns about chaos and gridlock on already busy roadways seemed to be the most prevalent issue. But in general people just had vague images of two weeks of inconvenience, and that was enough to make a population that can be quite good at complaining do a considerable amount of it.
Once the Games started with a spectacular Opening Ceremony, people seemed to lighten up. When Canadian athletes started winning the next morning (Canada’s women’s K4 won the first gold medal awarded at the Games) Torontonians suddenly seemed to get in the spirit of it all. The canoe-kayak venue in Welland was packed every day, including the first two days in which there was an abbreviated race card of just one final and a couple of heats. And every other venue across southern Ontario was packed as well.
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| Pan Am Gold Metal |
People flocked to the high profile events,but also to events in lesser-known sports as well. People wanted to go cheer the home team and see them win, and for the entire first week Canadian athletes actually led the United States in the medal table. But I think people also flocked to venues out of curiosity. They wanted to see some of the spectacular new venues that are left as a legacy now that the Games are over – the cycling velodrome in Milton, the aquatic centre in Scarborough at the Canadian Institute of Sport Ontario, the athletics facility at York University. And I think they wanted to soak the events in and feel some civic and national pride when the events were delivered so well and so smoothly.
By all accounts Toronto did a fantastic job from an organizational standpoint. It is a massive undertaking to run a multi-sport games of this dimension. Over 6,000 athletes in 48 sports, with venues scattered across a radius of 100 km around the Athlete’s Village in the downtown core. You’ve got to move the athletes to the venues and get them there on time. You’ve got to move the press and media around to cover the events. At the core of it all is a plan that has taken years to flesh out, but that plan doesn’t do a thing without an enormous cast of volunteers who make it all happen.
The volunteers I met all did their jobs efficiently with smiles on their faces. They enjoyed themselves. And in doing so not only made the events they were working a success, but also they made it more pleasant and memorable for the athletes. I can tell you that as an athlete, a spectator, and a broadcaster at six different Olympic Games I have noticed the volunteers and that they do make a difference to the experience you have in whatever capacity you’re there for. Thank you to everyone who volunteered in Toronto. You were at the front line of the city putting its best foot forward and welcoming the world with open arms. Athletes, coaches, officials, media and spectators from all 41 countries are going home with great memories that you’ve helped create.
Of course it is all about the athletes. The competitions were all extremely well run and fair. At this point it appears there have been no doping violations. Each athlete had the opportunity to do their best when it mattered most.
As I alluded to earlier, a huge part of what made the Games so appealing in the end for the people of Toronto was the performance of Canada’s athletes. They set a record for most medals by a Canadian team (including most gold medals) with a final tally of 78 gold, 69 silver and 70 bronze for a total of 217. Incredible!
We all know it’s not the Olympics. So before anyone gets too excited lets remind ourselves that Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific countries like Australia and New Zealand weren’t there. It’s going to be a whole lot harder for these athletes to reach the podium next summer in Rio. But at the same time,let’s celebrate what they accomplished here. There were some huge breakthrough performances that got me, as a Canadian sports fan, pretty excited.
The ever-improving Canadian Athletics Team was awesome in week two. I lost track of how many times they reached the podium but the quality of the performances,especially from many athletes who have already experienced success at the highest level, leaves us lots to be excited about moving forward to Rio. And I am super stoked to see many of them become household names in this country: Andre De Grasse, Damian Warner, Derek Drouin and Christabel Nettey to name just a few.
The Canadian Cycling Team was dominant. Watching reminded me of being in London and watching the way the British cyclists performed there. These athletes have always had to go to Los Angeles to train at a velodrome. Now they have their own here in Milton, and they christened it during these Games with medals galore. I’m not sure how many of those performances would stand against an Olympic level field, but I do know with certainty that now that they have a training base at home they’re going to get even better. If not in Rio,then in Tokyo we’ll see Canadian cyclists at the very top. I see no reason why cycling should be any different now that they have a world class training facility than speed skating was after they got the Olympic Oval in Calgary. Our speed skaters, in case I have to remind you, became a world powerhouse.
As a huge basketball fan I’m beyond excited by what I saw here from Canadian Basketball. Watching the women defeat the USA for gold was fantastic and seeing a new Canadian sports hero, 19-year-old Kia Nurse who led the team with 33 points, emerge was wonderful. I thought she was a great choice as Canada’s flag bearer for the Closing Ceremonies.
On the men’s side, Canada lost in the final to Brazil, settling for silver. But what a great team. And when you consider the components that were missing – players like Andrew Wiggins, Cory Joseph,Tristan Thompson and Kelly Olynyk – it’s apparent that Canada can put one of the best teams in the world on the court. But what was most fun about watching Canada in the tournament was the play of 18-year-old Jamal Murray, who took over the semi-final against the United States in the fourth quarter and overtime and led Canada to the final.
With 217 medals there are obviously too many stories of success to mention. What is most important is that a whole new generation of Canadian athletes had an opportunity to compete at home, perform under pressure, and LEARN TO WIN.I cannot overstress the importance of learning what it is like to race or compete from in front,to be expected to do well and deliver, and of developing the realization that somebody has to win and why shouldn’t it be you – and then going and doing it. This has been huge for Canadian athletes and WILL make a difference going forward to Olympic qualifying later this year and to Rio next summer.
Well done, Toronto! Whether Toronto ever hosts an Olympic Games or not we now know we could, and we’d do it brilliantly. Well done Canadian athletes!
