Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the city of Toronto couldn’t be any happier after winning the rights to host the 2015 Pan American Games.
Toronto’s bid was chosen on the first ballot over Bogota, Colombia and Lima, Peru early Friday evening in Guadalajara, Mexico.
McGuinty released the following statement after Toronto was awarded the Games:
“I want to thank the Pan American Sports Organization for choosing Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe area to host the 2015 Pan American Games.
On behalf of 13 million Ontarians, we are deeply honoured to be chosen.
This is a wonderful opportunity for Ontario to build a stronger relationship with our partners in the Americas. The excitement for the Games has been building throughout the bid process, and I know that our efforts will now gain tremendous momentum as we look forward to 2015.
I want to thank David Peterson for his leadership of the bid process, and congratulate the entire bid team on a job well done. The Games will give our economy a welcome boost by creating thousands of construction jobs and bringing visitors to our city.
We’re very excited about this opportunity to host a once-in-a-lifetime event. Ontarians will work together to create outstanding sports facilities, a welcoming athletes village and a strong, engaging cultural program that will celebrate the diverse, dynamic people of the Americas.
Ontario also looks forward to working closely with organizers of the Guadalajara 2011 Pan Am Games to ensure a successful event and a smooth transition towards the 2015 Games.
I know we can count on all Ontarians to work together to make the Games a great success and we look forward to hosting the people of the Americas.”