To 2015 and Beyond! Building Venues for Athletes and Communities of the Future
The TORONTO 2015 Games are adding to Ontario’s roster of state-of-the-art athletic facilities where the best in the country can train and compete, while weekend warriors work on their fitness and youth are inspired to take their first kayak and track cycling lessons.
After more than two decades of travelling to the United States every winter for training, Canadian cyclists will finally have a home at the velodrome in Milton, while a burgeoning number of field hockey athletes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will have two water-based turf fields in downtown Toronto that meet top international competition standards.
The Host City of the Games is also reclaiming its historical dominance in Canadian track and field with the new athletics stadium at York University, while canoe and kayak sprinters are looking forward to upgrades in Welland to further improve the world-class flatwater centre.
These venues are in addition to the previously announced groundbreakings in Scarborough, Hamilton and Markham. By the new year, TO2015 will have shovels in the ground on six of its major competition venues. Two more are set to begin construction in 2013, and all of the venues are accessible, on budget and on schedule.
With its 250-metre timber track and 42-degree angle banks, the $56-million Milton Pan Am and Parapan Am Velodrome is the sole facility of its kind in Canada and only the second that meets top international standards for cycling competitions in the USA and Canada.
It’s also designed to set a new standard for flexibility, maximum usage and community usage. When cyclists are training on the track, the three multi-use courts located in the infield or bowl can be used for basketball and volleyball games, while joggers can use the running track located on the spectator level—all at the same time.
Milton is where the next Curt Harnett and Clara Hughes of Canadian cycling will develop their skills and compete for gold—not only in 2015 but for decades to come.
Grab your field hockey stick in July 2014—that’s when the Pan Am Field Hockey Centre will open at the University of Toronto. The two new turf fields, located at the university’s St. George Campus, are Global Class 1 pitches and meet the highest standards for international competition set by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The $9.5-million water-based turf fields are irrigated before, during and after games in accordance with International Sport Federation regulations. The wetted-down turf reduces friction on the ball and creates an ideal field. Once completed, the number of these specially constructed water-based fields in the GTA will double.
Runners, hurdlers, high jumpers and wheelchair racers will hone their athletic edge on the brand-new 400-metre track and infield at the CIBC Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletics Stadium. These up-and-coming athletes will join an impressive list of Canadian track and field stars from the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, including Donovan Bailey, Bruce Kidd, Perdita Felicien and Prisicilla Lopes-Schliep.
The $45.5-million venue at York University is designed for certification by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as a Class 1 track suitable for hosting Olympic and other top-tier competitions.
The stadium will build on the world-class athletics infrastructure already present at York, including the Toronto Track & Field Centre, which will serve as an athlete training and warm-up facility during the Games. The City of Toronto is replacing the centre’s indoor and outdoor tracks in time for the Games.
In the southern corner of the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, the Welland Pan Am Flatwater Centre is undergoing $10 million in renovations and upgrades to welcome some of the top canoe and kayak sprinters in the world in less than 1,000 days.
A section of the city’s ‘Old Canal’ is undergoing widening to accommodate additional lane space to meet international competition standards. Two new buildings will also be built, including a four-storey timing tower and an athlete centre with locker rooms, washrooms, medical area and equipment storage. A large outdoor plaza, start towers and permanent seating for 500 spectators will also be added.
Additional venue announcements will be made by TO2015 in 2013.
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