The 2015 Pan Am Games kicked off with a dazzling opening ceremony Friday night, marking the official start of the 16-day sporting event.
Approximately 45,000 spectators filled Toronto’s Rogers Centre to watch a gravity-daring stunt from Olympic gold medallist Donovan Bailey and a pre-taped bit showing members of Canada's gold medal-winning 1996 4x100-metre relay team trotting the torch around Toronto.
The bit transitioned to the live opening ceremony, with Bailey descending from the ceiling to pass the torch to 15-year-old Canadian diver Faith Zacharias.
The ceremony also featured a Cirque du Soleil production, as well as appearances by prominent Canadian athletes and public figures, including Bobby Orr, Rick Hansen, Catriona Le May Doan and astronaut Chris Hadfield.
The festivities were capped off with a stunning fireworks display from the CN Tower.
With more than 10,000 athletes competing from 41 countries, the Games are the largest sporting event Canada has ever hosted.
Preparation for the event, however, has caused some controversy in the city.
The use of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to ease traffic congestion has caused widespread backlash among frustrated Toronto commuters and the security demands of the Games have cost the provincial government $239 million.
But now that the Games are underway, Toronto Mayor John Tory is urging Torontonians to stop complaining and join the party.
"Come on down and have fun; let down your hair… buy some tickets," Tory told CTV News Channel before the opening ceremony. "It's summer in Canada, it's short enough as it is."
Early reports of lacklustre ticket sales also did not help boost enthusiasm for the Games, although by Friday, organizers said that about 800,000 out of 1.4 million had been sold. The general dour sentiment was even the subject of a New York Times article, which noted that the Games appear to have landed "with a thud."
Tory said that while complaining may be "a bit of a Canadian thing," he's noticing general excitement has been ramping up in the streets.
"When the show goes on and the curtain goes up, we get very positive and that's certainly what's happening now," Tory said, adding that he's met many visitors in the past few days who've told him how impressed they are with the city.
He said that Torontonians might have been more excited about the Games if the benefits of hosting the event had been better marketed to them -- benefits including new sports facilities, and a brand new athletes’ village, which will become a new residential neighbourhood after the Games wrap up.
The event may also create new business and investment opportunities, as well as attract tourism, the mayor said.
Tory wouldn't comment on whether the Games are a sort of a dry run for a possible bid for the Summer Olympics, stressing that the city is simply focusing on the next two weeks – for now.
"My thoughts are that you do one thing at a time and do it well," he said. "Let's get through this successfully … and then we can see what other events we talk about doing after that."
With files from The Canadian Press
