Community News: Become A Pan Am Torchbearer or Volunteer

Canadians from coast to coast are being invited to celebrate and share their Pan Am spirit by taking part in the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Torch Relay, presented by President’s Choice® and OLG. The national event will be fuelled by local hometown pride, with stops planned in five Canadian cities: Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax and the Greater Vancouver Area, as well as 130 communities in all corners of Ontario. 

Three-thousand torchbearers will proudly carry the flame and share the welcoming Pan Am spirit of the Games on its 41-day journey towards the lighting of the cauldron on July 10, 2015, in the exciting conclusion of the Opening Ceremony in downtown Toronto.

Enter to be a torchbearer today at TORONTO2015.org/torch-relay. Torchbearers must be a Canadian citizen or legal resident of Canada and 13 years of age or older (as of May 30, 2015).  To help kick off the search for torchbearers, TO2015 named its first honorary torchbearer today: famed Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield.

The highly-anticipated relay begins in May 2015 with the traditional Aztec lighting ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico. The flame represents the history and spirit of the Games and is a potent symbol that unites the 41 Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) member nations.  The Canadian journey for the flame starts with its arrival in Toronto on May 30, 2015. It will then travel to the five other Canadian cities and more than 130 Ontario communities.

In addition, a separate TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Torch Relay will take place prior to the start of the Games on August 7, 2015. Details on the route and torchbearer application process will be released in April 2015.

For the full list of communities and a complete list of the criteria to be a torchbearer, visit TORONTO2015.org/torch-relay

Don’t Forget to Volunteer!

The TORONTO 2015 Games are a once-in-a-lifetime event and couldn’t happen without the support, enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers. Apply now at TORONTO2015.org/volunteer for an experience that will stay with you long after the last medal has been won!