Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games - Royal Canadian YC to host sailing

RCYC to host Pan Am Games - Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Toronto 2015

RCYC to host Pan Am Games - Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games © Toronto 2015

“We are thrilled to be able to welcome the world and some of sailing’s best competitors to Toronto,” said David Brightling, general manager and chief executive officer of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC). “With the RCYC’s depth of experience through our many years of hosting world-class regattas and insight from our own internationally competitive sailing members, including a number of Olympians, we will deliver a top-calibre experience for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games.”

All sailing competitions for the Games are non-ticketed, meaning spectators will be able to line the Toronto waterfront for free for a daily glimpse of the action, from Sunday, July 12 until Sunday, July 19. A city waterfront location is a rarity for sailing in an international multi-sport Games.

“The Royal Canadian Yacht Club’s passion and knowledge is a true asset to our Games and will ensure world-class competitions for the athletes,” said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer, TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015). “We also encourage everyone to come out and take advantage of seeing these world-class athletes for free along our waterfront.”

The Pan Am sailing competition will include 10 different events using a variety of boats, from windsurfers to dinghies, catamarans to keelboats. Each event consists of a series of races around a course, with points awarded in each race according to the finish position.

There will be three race courses — the harbour course and outside courses — in play all at once in Lake Ontario. This means spectators, depending on their location, can expect to see up to 148 sailors competing in more than 93 boats on the water at the same time.

Many countries will compete in the Pan Am Games, including Brazil, a sailing powerhouse that has won 14 medals, including eight gold, in the last two Games. Medals will be presented at Sugar Beach on the final two days of competition.

The competition schedule and course assignments will be made available on the event website this summer. During the Games, changes to the schedule or courses will be made the night before the change takes effect.