Danish royalty visit U of T's Pan Am/Parapan Am fields
Published: September 22, 2014
With the countdown on for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games (TO2015), the revitalized Back Campus Fields at the University of Toronto are already attracting international attention.
During an official visit to Canada, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visited the new Back Campus Fields at the University of Toronto on September 5. The venue will host football (7-a-side and 5-a-side) and field hockey competitions during the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games next summer.
"We are very pleased to be a partner in the redevelopment of this important legacy facility for sport and recreation in Ontario – much-needed space that will be enjoyed by our students, as well as high performance athletes, for many years to come," said Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto.
The Danish royal couple toured the facility along with Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer of the TO2015 Organizing Committee. The Crown Prince is a member of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Sport for All Commission.
Starting September 19 and running until September 26, players from six international football 7-a-side teams will take to the new turf to compete for the America Cup.
“It’s exciting to see top athletes competing at yet another finished world-class venue for the Toronto 2015 Games,” said Rafi. “Football 7-a-side is growing in popularity, especially among the soccer-mad populations of the Americas, which field several top international teams. We're pleased to host this sport's return to the Parapan Am Games next summer in the heart of downtown Toronto."
The America Cup competition is one of 40 sport test events that TO2015 is helping bring to Ontario ahead of the Games. Football 7-a-side, which made its Paralympic debut in 1984, is played by athletes with neurological impairments and is similar to football (soccer) played by able-bodied athletes.
Visit panam2015.utoronto.ca for more Pan Am/Parapan Am Games coverage.
