It
is wonderful to see the growing excitement that is spreading across southern
Ontario for the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games!
Many municipalities beyond Toronto are joining in on the excitement and are taking many initiatives to be part of the Games to ensure they make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity to part of an extraordinary event!
We too at KW Water Polo want to spread the enthusiasm and are excited to share with our club family that one of our very own members has been selected to be a torch bearer when the torch passes through the KW region - Minos Kotzambasis! Minos (U16 Boys member) is carrying on a family honour of being a Torch Bearer as his father (Angelos) had this same responsibility for the 2004 Olympics.
Minos was selected amongst tens of thousands of applicants and was required to write a speech explaining the importance of being a Torch Bearer and what it means to him personally. Minos will run with the Torch in Waterloo on Thursday, June 18th at approximately 6:00pm along King St. in the vicinity of Erb St. and Bridgeport Rd.
We would like to encourage our membership to come out, share in the enthusiasm, ride the wave of excitement and cheer on Minos as he proudly carries the Pan AM Torch representing our community and the KW Water Polo Club.
Afterwards, we invite you to visit Kitchener's 'Athlete's Village' which will be located in front of Kitchener's City Hall Fountain where local athletic groups can meet the public and increase awareness of their sport. We will be setting up a table there to help promote Water Polo which is exciting since it is a Pan AM event and that alone will create more awareness of our sport!
We sincerely hope to see many KW Water Polo family faces out on June 18th to cheer on Minos and catch the excitement of the upcoming Pan Am Games.
Thanks for your support!
Mike Ciciretto
KW Water Polo - Past President
Below some interesting information regarding the Torch Relay fromhttp://www.toronto2015.org/torch-relay;
The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay will be a 41-day journey that will share the Pan Am spirit in more than 130 communities. Deeply rooted in history and tradition, the Pan Am flame will be lit in May 2015 during a traditional ceremony in Teotihuacan, Mexico, before it travels to Canada.
The torch relay will start in Canada on May 30, 2015, and will make its final stop on July 10, 2015, at the Opening Ceremony of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games.
- 41 days
- 3,000 torchbearers
- 5,000+ kilometres on the road
- 15,000+ kilometres in the air
- 130 communities
- 60+ alternative modes of transportation
Pan Am Flame
The Pan Am flame represents the history and spirit of the Games; it is a symbol that unites the 41 Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) member nations.
The flame for the Pan Am Games is lit during a traditional ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun, in Teotihuacan, Mexico. Following the lighting, the flame will be handed over to a representative from the Host City. The flame will then be flown back to Canada to begin its nationwide journey before arriving in Toronto to light the cauldron at Opening Ceremony, which signifies the start of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games.
Calin Dragoiescu
[email protected]
