982 replies to this topic

[Apple]

Toronto 2015 Pan American Games Bid Officially Launched

[IceNarcissus]

Again with the tired old maple leaf allusion.
Not only that, it SCREAMS commonwealth.

[Kenadian]

What's wrong with the maple leaf? In a bid phase, it easily translates into a visual that spells "C-A-N-A-D-A". Or would you prefer they pulled a VANOC and took another region's symbol? A totem pole skyscraper? A lighthouse CN Tower? A trillium fleur-de-lys? Or a LOCOG and something abstract and garish?

This logo isn't spectacular, but it says Toronto and it says Canada and it says celebration. That's all it needs to do.

Anyway, it is about time Toronto had a major sporting event. I'm excited about what the plan will entail.

Edited by Kendegra, 03 October 2008 - 01:23 PM.

[cfm Jeremie]

This logo isn't spectacular, but it says Toronto and it says Canada and it says celebration. That's all it needs to do.

Where does it say Toronto (except for the name of course)?

[dave199]

When is the venue plan going to be announced?

[dave199]

I'm still not a big fan of the bid being so spread out. Read the part I highlighted. It's so true. It's from an editorial in the Toronto Star.


PAN AM GAMES
TheStar.com | Sports | 'Toronto' dirty word to Pan Am bid pooh-bahs
'Toronto' dirty word to Pan Am bid pooh-bahs


Oct 03, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (3)
Dave Perkins

There were jugglers and clowns, gymnasts and fencers and a couple of trampoline artists dazzling about 500 schmoozers yesterday at the official kickoff of the 2015 Pan Am Games bid. Yet the neatest trick was the one turned in by bid chair David Peterson.

The former premier is the handshaking face of the bid, now only a week from its first moment of truth, its initial presentation in Acapulco to the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). The entire undertaking still is sorting itself out, lacing where and when details. The board of directors is not yet in place, even if Jagoda Pike, for another day the highest sheriff at this newspaper, has come aboard as president to cross t's and dot i's Peterson either can't or can't get around to. The guess here is that they will work well together.

That neat trick was Peterson introducing the mayor of this burg of ours, David Miller – who has, however grudgingly, joined the choir – without once saying the word Toronto. Peterson et al know exactly how to play this one out: Forget the word Toronto inside our borders, where everybody hates the place yada-yada, but stress it to the rest of the world, where it's a highly regarded destination.

So Peterson spoke of the "Greater Golden Horseshoe" bid and among the crowd, which featured athletes, sports bureaucrats and enough politicians to steal four boxcars, were all kinds of mayors and city elders from the smaller Ontario communities, the ones whose grassroots support will dictate the success of this endeavour.

For the record, the handout name was the "Toronto and Greater Golden Horseshoe Bid for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games." Say that fast three times.

The only time the word Toronto was stressed was on the unveiling of the logo, a stylized maple leaf made of pointy coloured sticks with "Toronto 2015" across the bottom. It's plain and simple, even if the launch wasn't.

The usual speeches were made and politically correct nods were made toward every possible offendable party. Cultural festivals were stressed and everyone rolled out the economic cherry pie that always gets sliced thick at times like these: the alleged $2 billion in economic activity and the quarter-million visitors and the 17,000 jobs and so on. You've heard it all before.

One question arose about the federal government's commitment, which seems to have lost $160 million worth of weight since Beijing. Back then, the word from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was $660 million of the pretended cost of $1.8 billion. That works out to about 35 per cent, which is what Canadian Olympic Committee president Mike Chambers, Canada's man on the PASO board, believes the feds are committed to. Nobody could explain why Flaherty's letter yesterday, read in his absence due to a family situation, reduced the committed number to $500 million.

Peterson said he wondered about that, too, but other bid types said they have the commitment letter signed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and not to worry. (Peterson said Harper is "jazzed by the whole thing." That sounds good, but will sound better coming from the PM himself after votes are counted Oct. 14.)

Whatever the burbles about economic benefits and so on, there is one reason (it says here) to support this thing: that's the promise of top-notch athletic facilities for southern Ontario and the GTA. This province has become a wasteland for high-performance sports in too many areas. The two-week party, as enticing as it can sound, and the tourism draw attention. The only compelling reason to spend that kind of money is to provide a legacy of athletic facilities the province otherwise would never get.

[Apple]

When is the venue plan going to be announced?

Locations of venues will be finalized before the end of the year, likely around end of November or December.

[dave199]

I just find a very spread out bid to be ridiculous if you think about it. Visitors would be spending most of their time on our highways than actually getting to experience the city. I really hope the venue plan takes this into consideration. If it is considerably spread out than this is the bid's biggest weakness.

Edited by dave199, 03 October 2008 - 05:43 PM.

[Kenadian]

Where does it say Toronto (except for the name of course)?

I see people coming together and Toronto is a word that means meeting place on the lake.

[baron-pierreIV]

Toronto 2015 Pan American Games Bid Officially Launched

I think it's ok except it strikes me more as a ski-jumping championshsip graphic more than anything else.

Edited by baron-pierreIV, 04 October 2008 - 01:23 PM.