100 days to go until the TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Games

“Parapan athletes are changing the way people think about sport.”

The countdown is on! With 100 days to go until the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organising Committee (TO2015) is proud to partner with CBC/Radio-Canada to announce its broadcast schedule, featuring more hours of Parapan Am Games broadcast than ever before.

“Parapan athletes are changing the way people think about sport,” said Saäd Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, TO2015. “In 100 days, our partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada will allow more people than ever before, from across the country, to witness the amazing efforts of our Parapan athletes.”

Also released on Wednesday (29 April) were the competition schedules for two action-packed Parapan sports: wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby, giving spectators the information they need to buy tickets to see some incredible athletes battle it out for gold. As all sports for the Parapan Am Games are qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Canada’s men’s and women’s teams need to finish among the top nations to compete next year in Rio.

On Wednesday, TO2015 and CBC/Radio-Canada marked the milestone day with a countdown celebration, featuring a wheelchair rugby demonstration in recognition of the sport’s Pan Am Games debut.

Eight Team Canada wheelchair rugby hopefuls together with CBC host Scott Russell took part in the wheelchair rugby demonstration presented by TO2015, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association, the governing body for wheelchair rugby in Canada.

Originally coined “murderball,” the hard-hitting, fast-paced wheelchair rugby competition is expected to be a big winner with fans this summer. Wheelchair rugby has a strong reputation in Canada — not only was it invented in Winnipeg in 1976, but the Canadian team is considered one of world’s best, taking home a silver medal in both the 2014 World Championships and the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Canada’s wheelchair rugby schedule:

• Saturday 8 August vs. Brazil at 17:00 PRW01

• Sunday 9 August vs. Columbia at 19:15 PRW02

• Monday 10 August vs. Argentina at 17:00 PRW03

• Tuesday 11 August vs. Chile at 17:45 PRW04

• Wednesday 12 August vs. United States at 20:00 PRW05

The semi-finals will be held on Thursday 13 August (PRW06), followed by the bronze- and gold-medal games on Friday 14 August (PWO7).

Wheelchair basketball

The wheelchair basketball schedule was also released today. A fan favourite at the Parapan Am Games, it will be played at the Ryerson Athletic Centre.

The Canadian women’s team are the current world champions. Janet McLachlan is the country’s leading scorer and one of the top women’s wheelchair basketball players in the world. She is hoping that history repeats itself for her and her teammates at the Ryerson Athletic Centre this summer, with a gold medal win.

“We won the world championships on that same court last year and we’re looking forward to doing the same at the Parapan Am Games this summer,” said McLachlan. “It’s nice to have that home-court advantage in such a big event and we’re looking forward to great fan support.”

Canada’s women’s wheelchair basketball schedule:

• Saturday 8 August vs. Guatemala at 18:30 PWB02

• Sunday 9 August vs. Mexico at 20:45 PWB04

• Tuesday 11 August vs. Brazil at 16:15 PWB08

The women’s semi-finals will be held on Thursday 13 August (PWB12) followed by the bronze- and gold-medal games on Friday 14 August (PWB14).

The Canadian men’s team will be a gold-medal contender after taking home top place at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“We want to win the Parapan Am Games in our country, but there’s the added motivation of gaining a berth to the 2016 Paralympics in Rio,” said David Eng, a veteran leader of Team Canada. “There’s tough competition in the Americas, so matchups with Colombia, the US, Mexico and Brazil will be extremely exciting and intense.”

Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball schedule:

• Saturday 8 August vs. Venezuela at 20:45 PWB02

• Monday 10 August vs. Mexico at 18:30 PWB06

• Tuesday 11 August vs. Argentina at 18:30 PWB08

The men’s semi-finals will be held on Friday 14 August (PWB13), followed by the bronze- and gold-medal games on Saturday 15 August (PWB15).

Afternoon sessions featuring Canada’s men and women’s preliminary games will be highly sought-after tickets. An added bonus for wheelchair basketball fans is the great value these tickets offer. Purchasing a single ticket will get fans three games for morning or afternoon sessions from 8-13 August, and single session tickets will be valid for two games from 14-15 August.

To view the full wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball competition schedules and to purchase tickets, visit the TORONTO 2015 tickets website.

Tickets

The TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Games ticket program is designed to be affordable and accessible for everyone by offering:

• Affordable pricing: Tickets for Parapan Am sporting events will range from CAD 20 to CAD 35 for adults, with a youth (under 16) and senior (65+) discount from CAD 10 to CAD 12.50 available, depending on the event. The number of discounted tickets is limited, so buy early.

• Integrated tickets: Every event ticket will allow the holder to access transit on the day of the event.

• Easy options for buying: Tickets can be purchased online at the TORONTO 2015 tickets website or by calling 1.855.726.2015 in North America and 1.949.333.4824 internationally.