The 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games will play a major role in propelling the Paralympic Movement, "not just here in the Americas, but the whole world," said the President of the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) Octavio Londoño on a visit to Toronto.
"As a country Canada has a major role to play hosting a number of major Parasport events starting with August's IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal. As a city Toronto has the biggest role to play between now and Rio 2016," Londoño is quoted as saying in an article written by Emily Goddard reporting on his presentation in Toronto.
He continues, "If together we can deliver the biggest and best Parapan American Games in terms of sport, participation, accessibility, inclusion, crowds and media coverage, then we can head into Rio 2016 with significant momentum."
Goddard writes that Londoño expressed delight over Toronto's enthusiasm to "deliver the best Games ever," saying the city has a real opportunity to build on the success of London 2012 "when it welcomes some 1,500 athletes from 28 National Paralympic Committees to compete in the 15 sports of the Parapan Games." The games act as qualifiers for the Olympics in Rio in 2016, featuring South America's first Paralympic Games. Toronto will play a vital role in building momentum for Paralympic games in the years and months leading up to Rio.
The 2015 games are set to get underway in Toronto on August 7, 2015.
Read the full report
here.
Original source: Inside the Games