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City buys land hoping for Pan Am venue

EXCLUSIVE

October 23, 2009

Emma Reilly

The Hamilton Spectator

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/659011

The city has purchased a north-end brownfield where it hopes to build the Pan Am Games stadium.

The property, on Barton Street just west of Bay Street, is the site of Rheem Canada's former water-heater plant.

A source told The Spectator the land cost less than $1 million, but the city will face $6 million in environmental cleanup costs.

The Rheem land has been a key property for both the Pan Am Games and the city's plans for waterfront development. It's flanked by brownfields, industrial sites and residential areas. The city wants it, even without the Games, because it's close to downtown and could create a link between the waterfront and the core.

The deal has been "in the works" for some time, said Mayor Fred Eisenberger, adding the city started pursuing the land before the Pan Am bid as part of the Setting Sail plan.

"It's strategic to the waterfront redevelopment. I think that's the overall context, and the Pan Am bid just added additional value to it all."

Pan Am bid chair David Peterson said the deal could help the Toronto 2015 effort.

"I think it sure won't hurt," he said. "It's not going to be the centrepiece of our bid, but they'll look at us and ask, 'Can you really deliver on what you say?'

"This is another piece of evidence that we're starting to acquire the property."

City council voted to devote $60 million to a Pan Am Games stadium and velodrome. That sum includes $10 million for land acquisition.

However, the city will have to buy more land if the bid is successful because the Rheem site is only about a third of the land needed for the stadium and a velodrome.

The host of the 2015 Pan Am Games will be announced Nov. 6.

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The major problem with Bogoda bid is the city is located 2,640 m above sea level. This puts a lot of stress on athletes and can cause them a lot of health problems.

True.

High Altitude can be good for sprinters or people in short, dynamic events where speed is required but it is bad for endurance athletes. Marathon runners, who already wok on oxygen depth, will find it hard to cope with thinner air.

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True.

High Altitude can be good for sprinters or people in short, dynamic events where speed is required but it is bad for endurance athletes. Marathon runners, who already wok on oxygen depth, will find it hard to cope with thinner air.

Man Again you have half a clue . Sprinters at high altitude you don't have much of an effect on them as durations are short for their events but who would want to risk a career on what the unknown is for each individual. The Jamiacans are unlikely to say . Hey lets travel 6000 miles to live in an athletes village a mile high in mid european Athletics Season risking our pay checks on the Pro Circuit in Europe or even our entire careers . We are talking sprinters who generally can command appearance and endorsement fees into the 100's of thousands and millions . Lima or Toronto would get those votes on concern for what Bogota would do to the sprinters in the Caribbean Nations whos teams are generally made up entirely of Sprinters.

Middle distance runners ,unless you are born at altitude ,can have a grave impacts on their health running at altitude > IE Mayor Ron Clarke of Gold Coast Australia who was a great middle distance runner who nearly died at the Mexico City Summer Games of 1968 at altitude. Kenyans and Ethiopians have dominated distance running for decades simply because of the Environments that generations of their families have lived in at High Attitudes.

Conditioning and Modern training has advanced many middle distance runners to cope somewhat but the advantage of multi generations of a family living at altitude cannot be conquered in a sleeping chamber as the Australians have tried . Once the Kip Keino of world started to emerge out of the high grounds of eastern africa it became clear .

Jim Jones

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Well, they could argue that Mexico City hosted the PanAms twice and the Olympics without major problems.

Ron Clarke a very good high ranking middle distance runner from Australia nearly died running at altitude in Mexico city 68' .

no major problems ? Gee i think nearly killing a man is a major problem.

Jim jones

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Man Again you have half a clue . Sprinters at high altitude you don't have much of an effect on them as durations are short for their events but who would want to risk a career on what the unknown is for each individual. The Jamiacans are unlikely to say . Hey lets travel 6000 miles to live in an athletes village a mile high in mid european Athletics Season risking our pay checks on the Pro Circuit in Europe or even our entire careers . We are talking sprinters who generally can command appearance and endorsement fees into the 100's of thousands and millions . Lima or Toronto would get those votes on concern for what Bogota would do to the sprinters in the Caribbean Nations whos teams are generally made up entirely of Sprinters.

Middle distance runners ,unless you are born at altitude ,can have a grave impacts on their health running at altitude > IE Mayor Ron Clarke of Gold Coast Australia who was a great middle distance runner who nearly died at the Mexico City Summer Games of 1968 at altitude. Kenyans and Ethiopians have dominated distance running for decades simply because of the Environments that generations of their families have lived in at High Attitudes.

Conditioning and Modern training has advanced many middle distance runners to cope somewhat but the advantage of multi generations of a family living at altitude cannot be conquered in a sleeping chamber as the Australians have tried . Once the Kip Keino of world started to emerge out of the high grounds of eastern africa it became clear .

Jim Jones

Jim - Read people's posts. I have stated, in plain English that altitude improves sprint performances but can hinder endurance performances. Why are saying I never? Here's my quote again for you thicko:

True.

High Altitude can be good for sprinters or people in short, dynamic events where speed is required but it is bad for endurance athletes. Marathon runners, who already wok on oxygen depth, will find it hard to cope with thinner air.

So why are you saying I know nothing but then repeating what I said? Idiot.

Jim, I am an athlete. I have competed internationally. Don't tell me I know nothing about sport because I know more about athletics than anyone on this forum.

Here's a little tidbit from wikipedia (a basic website to accommodate your intelligence level):

Furthermore, sprint athletes perform better at high altitudes because of the thinner air, which provides less air resistance. In theory, the thinner air would also make breathing slightly more difficult (due to the partial pressure of oxygen being lower), but this difference is negligible for sprint distances where all the oxygen needed for the short dash is already in the muscles and bloodstream when the race starts. While there are no limitations on altitude, performances made at altitudes greater than 1000 m above sea level are marked with an "A".

Coversely, the reverse can be true for endurance events.

Jim, that was possibly the most silly post you have made. You say I am lying but then repeat what I said. Learn to read made.

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Yes. But it wouldn't be such a huge problem if the athletes arrive at Bogotá earlier and adapt to the climate. Plus, the possibility of more broken records is quite seductive IMO, specially for the PanAms

It is hard adapt to altitude that quickly especially if you are from a Caribbean Island living at sea level most of your life. Broken Records at the pan am games might be restricted to Pan Am Games Records which are generally far off the mark of World Records. The competition is generally not there as American's send a C team of Athletes and many teams send B grade competitors who are young and in development. You are not going to have a Usian Bolt running at altitude in Bogota or even any of the Semi finalists of the 2012 olympics or the 2016 olympics for the Americas. Those people qualify at national meets with world standard times in the olympic year after the Pan Ams. Risking an Athlete at altitude can mean huge loss of money to the athlete the National Association and his or hers management.

most athletics competition in the world is done bellow 1500 feet above sea level except if you are into Alpine or Nordic skiing events. 5000 feet above sea level is quite high for athletics. Records where broken in Mexico City 68' but again you do have the Worlds best at the olympics. How much is altitude and now much is the actual olympics is hard to determine. it is not uncommon for new world records to be set at the SOG's

Bogota would erase any serious Competitiors who would be able to make assaults on a World Record because of altitude risk of how these athletes will react to less O2 is probably a big unknown to their coaching staff. Ron Clarke in 1965 set 12 world Records in 44 days in Europe as a runner but he nearly died in Mexico City from Attitude sickness running the 10000 meters .

You have someone who was strong enough to do so much competition in 1965 at reasonable Altitudes and then nearly die during the 68 games having a heart condition from 1968 onwards.

jim jones

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Jim - Read people's posts. I have stated, in plain English that altitude improves sprint performances but can hinder endurance performances. Why are saying I never? Here's my quote again for you thicko:

So why are you saying I know nothing but then repeating what I said? Idiot.

Jim, I am an athlete. I have competed internationally. Don't tell me I know nothing about sport because I know more about athletics than anyone on this forum.

Here's a little tidbit from wikipedia (a basic website to accommodate your intelligence level):

Coversely, the reverse can be true for endurance events.

Jim, that was possibly the most silly post you have made. You say I am lying but then repeat what I said. Learn to read made.

you never get the point . no one goes out that says Gee I am going to risk putting an athlete in a situation that is rare in the the course of his or her's career .

that is the bottom line . Yeah you can have some record broke or you can have Ron Clarke in the process . Unless your athlete has run mountain races or long durations which would not be the case of a sprinter then they would pass on voting to put a sprinter in that position . Jamaica , Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba , St Kitts and other Caribbean Nations would vote for a Toronto or Lima simply on the basis of avoiding bogota.

Jim jones

Jim jones

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Yeah I'm aware of the danger of running with less air but we know PASO isn't good in its legs for a long while, so if they wanted to improve the scores and records of their games to give tha PanAms a boost let them put all those B, C and Z teams to run in thin air.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness

Altitude sickness

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Altitude sickness

Classification and external resources

ICD-10 T70.2

ICD-9 E902.0

DiseasesDB 8375 29615

eMedicine med/3225

MeSH D000532

Search Wiktionary Look up altitude sickness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche, is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans (and animals), caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (approximately 8,000 feet).[1][2] Acute mountain sickness can progress to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE).[1][3]

The causes of altitude sickness are not fully understood.[1][4] The percentage of oxygen in air remains essentially constant with altitude at 21% up until 70,000 feet (21,330 m), but the air pressure (and therefore the number of oxygen molecules) drops as altitude increases — consequently, the available amount of oxygen to sustain mental and physical alertness decreases above 10,000 feet (3,050 m).[5][6] Altitude sickness usually does not affect persons traveling in aircraft because the cabin altitude in modern passenger aircraft is kept to 8,000 feet (2,440 m) or lower.

A superficially related condition is chronic mountain sickness, also known as Monge's disease, occurring only after prolonged exposure to high altitude.[7]

An unrelated condition, often confused with altitude sickness, is dehydration, due to the higher rate of water vapor lost from the lungs at higher altitudes.

Signs and symptoms

This sign near the peak of Mount Evans (elev. 14264 ft or 4,350 meters) in Colorado, USA, warns of altitude sickness symptoms.

Headaches are a primary symptom used to diagnose altitude sickness, although a headache is also a symptom of dehydration. A headache occurring at an altitude above 2,400 meters (8000 feet = 76 kPa), combined with any one or more of the following symptoms, can indicate altitude sickness:

* Lack of appetite, nausea, or vomiting

* Fatigue or weakness

* Dizziness or light-headedness

* Insomnia

* Pins and needles

* Shortness of breath upon exertion

* Persistent rapid pulse

* Drowsiness

* General malaise

* Peripheral edema (swelling of hands, feet, and face).

Symptoms that may indicate life-threatening altitude sickness include:

* pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs):

o persistent dry cough

o fever

o shortness of breath even when resting

* cerebral edema (swelling of the brain):

o headache that does not respond to analgesics

o unsteady gait

o increased vomiting

o gradual loss of consciousness.

Bogoda is above 2,400 M is which is the level of altitude sickness. No city is Pan Am Games history has been hosted 2,400 or more.

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The altitude of Bogota could be a real concern for some athletes... Agreed.

Except for a Scottish Nut case who has his nose in the business of a games that does not concern the Children of the Sheep. Athlete Baw Haw Haw Haw Haw . The only workout he does is running his mouth about things he is complete ignorant to IE what is an IAAF class one certified facility and how a stadium gets that stamp from the IAAF.

Jim jones

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Except for a Scottish Nut case who has his nose in the business of a games that does not concern the Children of the Sheep. Athlete Baw Haw Haw Haw Haw . The only workout he does is running his mouth about things he is complete ignorant to IE what is an IAAF class one certified facility and how a stadium gets that stamp from the IAAF.

Jim jones

You are a racist!

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Games would give us great opportunity

October 27, 2009

TOM COOPER

The Hamilton Spectator

http://www.thespec.com/Opinions/article/661063

Next week may be a big one for Steeltown.

On Thursday, Hamilton will play host to Prince Charles and Camilla as they visit the HMCS Haida and Dundurn Castle; and on Friday, word will come from Guadalajara, Mexico, announcing the successful bid for the 2015 Pan American and Para-Pan American Games.

After next Thursday's royal visit, here's hoping we don't receive the "royal burn" on the Friday.

Last spring, Hamilton council committed $60 million from Hamilton's "future fund" towards our city's participation in the Pan Am Games as the auxiliary host in the regional bid. Although they are characterized internationally as the Toronto 2015 Games, Hamilton is receiving a much bigger chunk of federal and provincial change per capita than any other city involved.

If the bid is successful, Hamilton will host many of the high-profile athletics competitions such as track and field at a new stadium near the waterfront that can eventually be converted to serve as the new home for the CFL Tiger-Cats. The city would also have one of the few international-calibre velodromes in North America, making this city a serious contender to host future track-cycling competitions -- a huge sport in Europe.

Two weeks after the Pan Am Games are complete, Hamilton would host the bulk of the events for the Para-Pan American Games for athletes with physical disabilities.

The facilities would be built to be accessible and inclusive.

Some Pan Am critics have suggested the effort needed to put on a successful event simply isn't worth it for a two-week spectacle. They'd be right, of course. But Hamilton's participation in the Games isn't only about a two-week event, it's about building community, leveraging opportunities and engaging residents.

It's also about what Tourism Hamilton director David Adames calls "the afterglow" -- the stuff that comes after the 10,000 athletes, coaches and families go home.

Adames notes the Pan Am Games are presenting a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our city to focus timelines around urban redevelopment and possibly speed up the implementation of light rail transit in the lower city.

The Pan Am Games could lead to important community rejuvenation, new assessment and increased revenue -- and most importantly job growth -- that will enhance social well-being throughout the city.

It's also about changing our psyche in Hamilton from one that has been inward looking and too self-critical of late, to one that is outwardly dreaming and proud of what we can accomplish.

The Games should provide long-term health benefits to our children.

A "playground to podium" campaign will give young people in Hamilton an opportunity to be a big part of the run-up to the Games by instilling healthy attitudes about the importance of sports and activity.

The Games fits perfectly with our community aspiration of making Hamilton the best place to raise a child.

While it is great to dream, the decision is ultimately up to 42 Pan American Sports Organization members who will vote in Mexico next week.

A few weeks ago, Chicago was the perceived favourite to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, but when the votes were counted it was Rio de Janeiro that had won support from the delegates of the International Olympic Committee.

In a weird way, that decision may have helped southern Ontario's bid. South America had never hosted an Olympic Games, and if they had been denied Pan Am delegates may have felt a sympathetic pull to vote for our competitors in Bogota, Colombia, or Lima, Peru.

Hamilton needs this win. After the disappointment of losing the Phoenix Coyotes and our economic woes over the last few years, we deserve this chance.

I'm betting we're going to get it. Are you ready?

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Games or no Games, Ivor Wynne is gone

Andrew Dreschel

The Hamilton Spectator

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/663354

Whether or not Hamilton gets the Pan Am Games, it looks like Ivor Wynne's days are numbered.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger says city staff are working on a stadium business plan that includes building a new facility regardless of whether southern Ontario gets the Games.

"There's a need for stadium renewal, and we're going to proceed on making that business case, one way or another," Eisenberger said.

The site of the 2015 Pan Am Games will be decided next Friday.

If the Games go elsewhere, Eisenberger says the city will still seek senior government and private-sector funding for a modern multi-use stadium.

Ted McMeekin, Ontario cabinet minister and local MPP, says the province would consider the request because "the need is certainly still there" to replace the 80-year-old Ivor Wynne.

"We'd have to look at some infrastructure funding or aspects to that," McMeekin said.

Even without the Games, Eisenberger believes the best site for a new facility is still the west harbour, where the city recently acquired a former Rheem Canada plant in anticipation of building a Pan Am stadium.

"I still think the waterfront location is the preferred site because it drives downtown and waterfront development and (light rail transit)."

But Eisenberger acknowledges the door would be re-opened to consider other sites, with council making the ultimate decision.

Before council opted for the harbour, the airport lands and Confederation Park were also in the mix.

David Adames, the city's Pan Am pointman, says the stadium business plan is looking at a no-Games option because Ivor Wynne is clearly at a crossroads.

"It served the community well, but we know we need to replace that asset," Adames said.

"We hope it's in a Pan Am Games scenario. But we have a responsibility back to council and Hamiltonians to come up with a solution."

Earlier this year, Adames warned that the Tiger-Cats -- Hamilton's pro sports team and Ivor Wynne's only tenants, albeit subsidized by the city -- could leave if a new stadium isn't built.

Around the same time, Ticat president Scott Mitchell said the team is willing to contribute millions of dollars to build a new facility, but warned the club is no longer prepared to pump money into the city-owned Ivor Wynne.

It's estimated it will cost up to $20 million just to safely maintain Ivor Wynne over the next several years and about $94 million to properly renovate it.

Participating in the Pan Am bid was seen as a way to replace the faded facility with help from the provincial and federal governments.

Council voted to commit $60 million from the Hamilton Future Fund to the bid partnership. Of that, $10 million is to purchase and remediate land and $45 million is to build a stadium.

The province and federal government are kicking in $57 million.

But that combined $102 million for the stadium only buys a 15,000-seat complex.

In order to build a full-size 30,000 seater, the city needs to raise $50 million from private-sector partners such as the Ticats.

Finding that money is the other part of staff's business plan.

Though everyone is awaiting the results of the Nov. 6 Pan Am decision, Adames says potential investors have been approached and interest has been expressed.

That's good because there's unlikely to be any appetite on council to slap down more money, whether Hamilton gets its piece of the Games or not.

Councillor Chad Collins, for instance, only supported the bid because of the commitment from senior governments.

He says it was absolutely clear that the $50 million needed to build a full-size stadium was supposed to come from private investors.

"I wouldn't give that project another dime," Collins says.

"There's only so much we can afford."

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Toronto 2015 bid reps gearing up for final push to bring Pan Am Games to Ontario

By Romina Maurino (CP) – 9 minutes ago

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianp...w3bR1g2qQWsldQg

TORONTO — Representatives for Toronto's bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games have one more week to sell their plan as they travel to Mexico ahead of next Friday's vote, and they're confident they can bring the Games to Ontario.

"Toronto needs a win, Toronto deserves a win," said bid chairman David Peterson.

"We're going to have a week of, shall we say, persuasion."

Peterson, a former Ontario premier, said he wasn't disappointed that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has declined an invitation to travel to Mexico for the decision because his absence won't affect the vote.

"Everybody knows that the prime minister has been supportive," Peterson said.

The delegation will be led by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who will be travelling to Guadalajara on Wednesday night, along with Toronto Mayor David Miller and Federal Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn.

Several Canadian athletes will also attend, including Olympic medallists Charmaine Crooks and Curt Harnett, and Pan Am winner Alexandra Orlando.

The group will make an hour-long presentation Friday after spending the week lobbying the Pan American Sport Organization along with the other bidding cities, Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.

The agency represents the 42 countries across the Caribbean and the Americas whose National Olympic Committees will determine the host for the 2015 Games in November.

Peterson said he didn't expect Rio de Janeiro's winning bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics to affect PASO's decision, even though some say the fact that those Games went to South America may improve Toronto's chances for the Pan Ams.

But while he's confident his team did a good job of promoting Toronto, Peterson warned it's always hard to know how people will vote, and there is always the possibility of sympathy votes, or votes based on friendships and historic relationships.

"This is a competition, this is tough, and you never know what people do in a ballot box," said Peterson.

"I've been in elections and the best guy doesn't always win."

The bid's price tag includes a budget of $1.4 billion for the sporting event itself and $1 billion for an athletes' village, which is expected to be turned into a mixed-income neighbourhood serviced by transit after the Games.

That's down from an original budget of reportedly $1.8 billion, which was slashed by $300 million by McGuinty in January because of the economic downturn.

The federal and provincial governments are each on the hook for 35 per cent of the $1.4 billion, or some $500 million each. Municipalities and private investors will pay the remaining $428.5 million.

McGuinty has said the Games would bring 15,000 construction jobs to the province, as well as sports facilities, housing and tourism.

The plan promises more than 50 venues in Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region - from Niagara Falls to Minden to Oshawa - including six new facilities to be built in Toronto, Markham and Hamilton.

Losing the bid, Peterson said, would cast a "bit of a black cloud" over the city, and it's an outcome he hasn't really considered.

"This will be a bit like a death in the family," he said.

"You get over these things but it takes a toll."

The last edition of the Games was held in Rio de Janeiro in July 2007 and the next is scheduled to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October 2011.

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Pan Am bid team has eye on finish line

November 02, 2009

John Kernaghan

The Hamilton Spectator

TORONTO

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/664930

The lineup for Canada's Pan Am bid team has been announced, complete with a theme song and guarded optimism.

Your Moment Is Here, composed and sung by the Canadian Tenors, has a rousing and symbolic chorus, "It's time to make it through the finish line." (See thespec.com for the video).

That line looms, as Toronto 2015 bid chair David Peterson cautioned his group can take nothing for granted in this Friday's vote.

"Many races are lost in the last step."

Peterson said he hasn't entertained the notion of losing, but pointed out there can be sympathies at work that can't be predicted.

He said some delegates may feel a pull toward Lima's bid because Peru has never hosted a major event.

Others, he observed, could feel that North America already enjoys sports and recreation riches.

Landing the 2015 Games would mean about $700 million in new facilities, $170 million of them in Hamilton and Burlington.

Moreover, federal and provincial funding will pick up the operating costs of more than $700 million for the 42-nation showcase.

Peterson called the competition from Lima and Bogota, Colombia, tough.

"These are good people with good stories to tell. We think we have a better story to tell."

The team telling that story and straining to that finish line is led by Premier Dalton McGuinty, Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn, Toronto Mayor David Miller, Ontario Minister of Health Promotion Margarett Best, several Canadian Olympic Committee executives, Peterson and bid president Jagoda Pike, a former Hamilton Spectator publisher.

Miller is the only municipal leader in the party of about 50 who head for Guadalajara, Mexico, tomorrow.

The bid group was working yesterday on a video feed and video streaming of the vote announcement.

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