Pan/Parapan American Games’ "Think Tank"

On Saturday April 24th SIRC’s Regional office Information Specialist participated in the Pan/Parapan American Games’ “Think Tank” put on by the Sport Alliance of Ontario (SAO). This event was arranged to give the Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) an opportunity to come together as a group and identify the top five legacies they would want to see come out of the 2015 Games, which Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe will be hosting.

After opening remarks by Holly Abraham, Chair of the SAO Board of Directors, and a brief background presentation by Blair McIntosh, SAO’s Director of Games, facilitator Marg Strus broke the participants into five groups. Those groups then had 90 minutes to brainstorm to come up with their top five legacies overall.

When the groups came back to share their results there were some definite common themes in the responses. Infrastructure was one theme that was important to all. It included not only facilities, but transportation as well. PSOs want permanent, multisport facilities that will continue to be maintained and used post games.

Training was also a common theme. Training not only for coaches and athletes, but for volunteers, and games administration as well, so the Pan/Parapan American Games can be the best games they can be. Having Ontario host smaller international sporting events prior to 2015 was suggested as a perfect way to facilitate this.

Other common themes included Communication, Partnerships, Community Development and Multiculturalism. SAO took away each group’s final five as well as all their brainstorming notes and will be compiling the results to present to Ian Troop, CEO of the Pan/Parapan American Games, before the next scheduled session on May 29th, 2010.

Below are some SIRC resources which may be useful to game organizers.
“Everyone rolls up their sleeves and mucks in”: Exploring volunteers’ motivation and experiences of the motivational climate of a sporting event. Allen, Justine B.; Shaw, Sally, Sport Management Review (Elsevier Science ) May2009, Vol. 12 Issue 2, p79

A Study of Human Resource Management Practices in Sport Events Management Organization in China. Lei Li, Journal of Beijing Sport University 2009, Vol. 32 Issue 5, p8

Consumer Satisfaction with an Action Sports Event. Yosuke Tsuji; Bennett, Gregg; James Zhang, Sport Marketing Quarterly 2007, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p199

Cultural Orientations of Sport Managers. Girginov, Vassil; Papadimitriou, Dimitra; López De D'Amico, Rosa, European Sport Management Quarterly Mar2006, Vol. 6 Issue 1, p35

Organizational Image and Identity Management in Large-Scale Sporting Events. Parent, Milena M.; Foreman, Peter O., Journal of Sport Management Jan2007, Vol. 21 Issue 1, p15

Roller Girls and Roller Boys!

Keeping with the Pan/Parapan American Games theme this week, two events that some might not know are a part of the games are Roller Speed Skating and Roller Figure Skating. Yes, you read that right! Peter Doucet and Morgane Echardour are two of Canada’s National Roller Speed Skating Champions and both attended the “Think Tank” session on April 24th.

There are four main racing circuits used in roller/ inline speed skating.

1. Open road - either in a big loop or point-to-point racing usually features outdoor and longer (10+ km distances) on streets.
2. Road - track racing on a track from 400 – 1000 metres, in Canada usually on outdoor 400-metre school tracks and at world championships on tracks with an asymmetrical configuration.
3. Track - racing usually on smaller outdoor tracks about 200-metres long. In some countries, specially designed outdoor banked tracks are used as well – outdoor speed skating is the International form of the sport
4. Indoor - racing on a 100-metre track- usually in a gymnasium or a roller skating facility.
   Unlike ice speed skating, there are no “lanes” in roller speed races. All races begin with a standing start, and the number of competitors on the line for each race or heat varies, depending on the size of the track and the type of race being skated. Each participant is timed individually, with the fastest time winning the race as his/her front wheels cross the finish line.

Unlike Roller Speed Skating Roller Figure Skating is done on traditional roller skates. Skaters enter artistic events in one or more categories which include Figures, Free Skating, Dance, and Pairs, just like their counterparts on ice.

Roller Sports Canada is the governing body for the sport and when you visit their website you will notice that another roller sport is included – Roller Derby. It may not be part of the Pan/Parapan American Games, or any games for that matter, but it is a popular and fast growing sport especially among 20 something women. With slogans like “Real Women, Real Hits, Real Heart” and competition entitled Beast of the East and Quad City Chaos you can only imagine the mayhem and entertainment that pursues. These girls make NHL hockey players look like wimps and with the popularity of the film Whip It one can only imagine how this sport will grow. So dust of those roller skates from the 1970s and give it a try.

¡Fiesta de las Americas!

In four years time, Canada will be hosting the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The local organizing committee, Toronto2015, is already hard at work preparing the venues and logistics for this immense event. Canada has hosted the Pan American Games twice—both times in Winnipeg (1967, 1999).

Photo credit: Mike Ridewood / COC 

But in just 24 hours time, the 2011Pan American Games will begin in Guadalajara, Mexico, the city referred to as the “Pearl of the West”, and known for its’ culture, theatre and museums.  This is the third time Mexico has hosted these Games, making them the first country to three-peat (1955 and 1975 were the first two times). The 2011 Games with their motto Fiesta de las Americas (The Americas' Party), will be the largest multi-sport event of this year’s sports calendar, with approximately 6,000 athletes from 42 nations expected to participate in 361 events in 36 sports.  Fifteen of the 26 Summer Olympic sports will use the 2011 Pan American Games as a qualifier for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, including handball, canoeing and modern pentathlon to name just a few.

Team Canada is made up of 493 athletes (257 men and 236 women), with all ten provinces and the Northwest Territories represented. The youngest Canadian athlete is Table Tennis player Anqi Luo of Mississauga, Ontario (age 15), and the oldest will be Equestrian veteran, Ian Millar of Perth, Ontario (age 64).

The 2011 Pan American Games will be held from October 14 – 30, with the Parapan American Games (the multi-sport event for athletes with a physical disability) starting on November 12. 

The first Pan American Games took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1951.

For more information on multi-sport events, please visit SIRC.

Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Study

Canada is hosting the Pan/Parapan American Games in Toronto in 2015. SIRC, Canada's national sport information resource centre, is pleased to be working together with the Canadian Olympic Committee to conduct a study on the Games. In particular we are looking at the following areas:

• Expectations for our athletes
• Importance of the Games
• Potential opportunities for the Canadian sport community and other related sectors 

 An important component of the consultation process is to have as many Canadians as possible participate and share their perspectives. We would like to invite you to participate in a short online survey and share your thoughts on these topics. Please complete the survey by May 6, 2012.

Please complete the survey as it applies to you:

• Canadian Sport Community 
• General Public

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Les Jeux pan/parapanaméricains de 2015 seront à Toronto. SIRC est heureux, en tant que partenaire de recherche œuvrant en étroite collaboration avec le COC, de piloter un processus de collecte de données des canadiens et canadiennes pour évaluer :

• Nos attentes pour nos athlètes
• L‘importance des Jeux
• Les occasions à saisir par le sport canadien ou les autres secteurs 

 Nous vous invitons de participer et partager vos perspectives. Le sondage est court. S’il vous plait, répondre à ce questionnaire d’ici le 6 mai 2012.

Cliquez ici pour commencer :

• Communauté canadienne du sport
• Canadiens en general