With 147 Days to Go, TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Racing to the Finish Line
Opened venues, volunteer applications and new sponsors among successes in latest quarter
Media call with TO2015 Senior Leadership Team at 2 p.m. TODAY
TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - With the Cisco Milton Pan Am/Parapan Am Velodrome officially open and its first national and international competitions under its belt, the momentum for the TORONTO 2015 Games has shifted into high gear, with 21 weeks to go until the world arrives this summer.
The facility won rave reviews from athletes and spectators alike as the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) successfully tested all aspects of its operations, from transportation to volunteers, and press operations to venue management, during the inaugural Milton International Challenge and Canadian Cycling Championships in early January.
The competitions and the substantial completion of the venue capped off a successful fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2014 (FY 2015, Q3) that also saw TO2015 surpass 52,000 volunteer applications and sell 275,000 tickets.
In total, TO2015 has also secured $169.8 million in sponsorship revenue, including cash and value-in-kind goods and services, since inception, with several more sponsors joining during this period, including Aeroplan, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, General Mills Canada, Porter Airlines as Official Suppliers; LifeLabs and YouAchieve as Proud Supporters; and Univision Canada and TLN Television as an Official Broadcaster.
TO2015's latest financial graphs and infrastructure budget are available at TORONTO2015.org. The 2015 Q3 financials have been reviewed by the TO2015 Audit Committee.
TO2015's senior leadership team will be available to the media at 2 p.m. (ET) today. For details on how media can dial in, please see below.
In the third quarter, TO2015's operating expenses were $33.9 million and were predominantly spent in the areas of technology, sport operations, and events and ceremonies. To date, the Organizing Committee has spent $215.6 million or 28 per cent of its total operations budget of $760 million.
TO2015's total venue construction expenditures were $27.7 million. Project-to-date venue construction expenditures amounted to $536.7 million, representing 80 per cent of the total capital budget of $672 million.
In this quarter, TO2015 incurred:
$100,000 on the CIBC Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium ($123.4 million since inception).
$400,000 on the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House ($177.9 million since inception).
$3.7 million on the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium ($37.9 million since inception).
$6.8 million on the Cisco Milton Pan Am/Parapan Am Velodrome ($47.4 million since inception).
$2 million on the Atos Markham Pan Am/Parapan Am Centre ($73.8 million since inception).
And the balance on other smaller projects.
Other recent and upcoming highlights include:
With 275,000 Pan Am tickets sold to date at TORONTO2015.org/tickets, tickets are going fast, particularly for medal rounds in men's football (soccer), aquatics, track cycling, BMX, canoe/kayak – slalom, beach volleyball and equestrian – jumping.
The second phase of Pan Am ticket sales will close on March 9 and will not reopen until mid-April.
Parapan Am tickets go on sale in late March, with demand expected to be high for the Opening Ceremony, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and aquatics.
The ticketing system is operated by Ticketmaster, a division of Live Nation.
TO2015 and its provincial transportation and security leads have started community engagement sessions with residents and businesses in communities involved in the Games. To date, sessions have been held in Toronto, Caledon and Oshawa. Additional community meetings will be listed on TORONTO2015.org as soon as dates are confirmed. Games-time transportation information and a business guide can be accessed at ontario.ca/games2015, while specific questions can be sent to
businessinfo@toronto2015.org and
residentinfo@toronto2015.org.
The first torchbearers for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay will be announced on March 16, along with the unveiling of the torch and uniform design. Three-thousand torchbearers will carry the Pan Am Flame as it visits more than 130 Ontario communities and five cities across Canada, starting May 30. The torch relay is presented by President's Choice® and OLG.
TO2015 Budget Background
The overall budget for the TORONTO 2015 Games includes the costs of overlay, some essential services and the need for appropriate contingencies for the capital and operating components. It has been reviewed and confirmed by independent third-party financial experts and by experts in staging large-scale, international, multi-sport events.
When it announced its budget in May 2012, TO2015 committed to regular updates to the public. Today's Quarterly Report is the 10th in an ongoing series of regular, quarterly organizational updates as the Organizing Committee moves forward to Games time.
Like the Province of Ontario, TO2015's financial reporting follows the fiscal year, which ends March 31, rather than the calendar year, which ends on December 31. This is why the bulk of the Organizing Committee's operating expenses, for example, will be paid in fiscal year 2016; though occurring in the summer of 2015, the Games will take place during the second quarter of fiscal year 2016. The next Quarterly Report will be released in spring 2015 and will cover the final quarter of fiscal 2015.
TO2015 Quarterly Report Media Conference Call Details
When:
Friday, February 13, 2015
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (ET)
Who:
Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer, TO2015,
Allen Vansen, executive vice-president, operations, sport and venue management, TO2015
Katherine Henderson, senior vice-president, marketing and revenue, TO2015
Michelle Robertson, senior director, finance and planning, TO2015
Jason Fellen, senior director, capital projects, TO2015
To access the conference call by telephone, dial toll-free 1.800.709.0218 within North America. Please connect approximately 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call.
About TO2015
The TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10–26 and the Parapan American Games August 7–15. The TORONTO 2015 Games are funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, as well as Lead Partner CIBC and other partners and sponsors.
The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015) is tasked with managing and delivering the Games. It is working to bring some of the world's best athletes and artists to the city of Toronto and Greater Golden Horseshoe region, giving Ontarians a unique chance to be part of the action, and making the region a hub for sport.
For more information about the Games, please visit TORONTO2015.org or follow @TO2015, @TO2015_fr (French) or @TO2015_es (Spanish).
SOURCE Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games
For further information: Teddy Katz, Director, media relations and chief spokesperson, TO2015, 416.957.2117,
teddy.katz@toronto2015.org
