Forty fun facts about the Pan Am Games

The 17th Pan Am Games will begin on July 10 and continue until July 26. The Para Pan Am Games will begin August 7 and run until the 15th. Impress your friends and show some national pride with these fun facts about the upcoming international event that will put Canada in the spotlight as host country.

1. The Pan Am Games are held every four years. They always occur the summer prior to the summer Olympics.
2. There have been multiple attempts to develop a tradition of Winter Pan Am Games, with no success.
3. The last place that the Pan Ams was held was Guadalajara, Mexico.
4. As of the 2011 Games, Aruba and the British Virgin Islands are the only countries that have never medalled at the Pan Ams.
5. Canada ranks third in the overall medal count over the years of the Games, placing behind the USA and Cuba.
6. The infamous Canadian circus company, Cirque de Soleil, is an official creative partner of the Toronto Pan Am Games and has been integral to the planning of the Opening Ceremony.
7. Over 3,000 torchbearers will pass the Pan Am torch.
8. The torch arrived in Toronto on May 30 and will take a 41 day journey before returning on July 4.
9. The Pan Am Games are the third largest international multi-sport games, surpassed only by the Olympic Games and the Asian Games.
10. The inaugural Pan Am Games was held in 1951.
11. The first Parapan Am Games was held in 1999.
12. Toronto was awarded the 2015 Games in November of 2009.
13. This will be the first time the province of Ontario has hosted an international multi-sport event since the British Empire Games of 1930 (now known as the Commonwealth Games).
14. Approximately 20,000 volunteers have been recruited to help make the Games happen.
15. The overall budget for the 2015 Games is $1.4 billion.
16. 2015 is the first year in which braille has been incorporated onto the backs of the medals.
17. A total of 4,283 medals will be awarded throughout the Games in 825 medal events.
18. Barrick-Gold Corporation, based in Toronto, provided the materials for the medals. The copper is from operations in Chile, the silver is from the Dominican Republic and the gold is from Ontario.
19. The medals will weigh twice as much as a hockey puck.
20. 75 per cent of tickets are under $45.
21. Approximately 7,000 athletes will compete in the Games.
22. 41 countries will be represented.
23. Road cycling, sailing and marathon events are free of charge.
24. Tickets are half-price for spectators under the age of 16.
25. The Vancouver 2010 Olympics had 20 sports taking place. The Toronto Pan Am Games will showcase 48 sports.
26. The Games are expected to attract over 250,000 tourists.
27. Wheelchair rugby will make its debut at the 2015 Games.
28. Approximately 400 wheelchairs will be used during Para Pan Am competition.
29. 16 Pan Am records were broken in the 2011 Games.
30. The Pam Am torch will travel for over 5,000 km on the roads.
31. The torch has already travelled over 15,000 km by air.
32. 37,500 rolls of toilet paper will be required during the Games (unrolled, this is the equivalent of the distance between Toronto and St. John, NB).
33. The Games span 350 km between the events taking place in Welland, Ont., and those taking place in Minden (this is the equivalent to the distance between the CN Tower and Parliament Hill).
34. Golf, along with women’s baseball, will make their debut at the 2015 Games.
35. The speed at which Pan Am archer’s arrows will travel is 354 km/h, three times faster than a cheetah.
36. 3,000 tonnes of sand are required for the beach volleyball competition, a weight which equals that of more than 20 blue whales.
37. “Together We Are One,” performed by Serena Ryder, is the official song of the 2015 Games.
38. “Panamania” will be a 35 day arts and culture festival coinciding with the Games.
39. Approximately 700 performers will take part in the opening ceremony.
40. Toronto 2015 will be the third time Canada has hosted the Games. They have taken place twice in Winnipeg, in 1967 and 1999.