Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre
The Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC; French: Centre sportif panaméricain de Toronto) is a sports complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Co-owned by the City of Toronto and the University of Toronto Scarborough,[1] it is operated by TPASC Inc., with programming offered by both the university and Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation.[2] It is located at the northern grounds of the university's Scarborough campus near the intersection of Highway 401 and Morningside Avenue in the suburb of Scarborough.
| Centre sportif panaméricain de Toronto | |
Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Location in Toronto Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Location in Ontario Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Location in Canada | |
| Full name | Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre |
|---|---|
| Address | 875 Morningside Avenue |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°47′25.19″N 79°11′35.88″W / 43.7903306°N 79.1933000°WCoordinates: 43°47′25.19″N 79°11′35.88″W / 43.7903306°N 79.1933000°W |
| Owner | City of Toronto University of Toronto Scarborough |
| Capacity | Aquatics Centre - 6,000 (Pan/Parapan Games), 3,500 (legacy mode) Field House - 2,000 |
| Field size | 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2) Two 10-lane 50 metre pools Dive tank Four-court gymnasium 200 metre track |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 27 September 2012 |
| Built | 2012-2014 |
| Opened | 2 September 2014 |
| Construction cost | $205 million |
| Architect | NORR Limited |
| General contractor | PCL Construction |
| Tenants | |
| Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation University of Toronto Scarborough Athletics & Recreation Canadian Sports Institute Ontario 2015 Pan American Games 2015 Parapan American Games 2017 North American Indigenous Games 2017 Invictus Games Scarborough Shooting Stars (2022–present) | |
| Website | |
| tpasc | |
Opened to the public on September 2, 2014, the complex consists of a 3,500-seat aquatics arena (6,000 during the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games) with two Olympic-size swimming pools and a diving well; and a 2,000-seat field house that includes four full-sized gymnasiums, a fitness centre, a climbing wall, and a 200-metre track. The centre hosted diving, fencing, swimming, synchronized swimming and modern pentathlon competitions during the 2015 Pan American Games.[3] Funding for the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre is the largest single investment in amateur sports in the history of Canada.
History
The facility was funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto and the University of Toronto. In 2009, students at the University of Toronto Scarborough voted in favour of a 25-year levy which will contribute about $30 million to the facility.[4] In 2011, the City of Toronto learned it had to contribute an extra $23 million for soil remediation on the former landfill.[5] The whole facility cost about CA$205 million ($158 million to design and build it) which makes it the largest amount spent on amateur sport in Canada.[6]
The official ground breaking for the facility was on 27 September 2012 and was attended by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. The facility was announced then as the largest venue being built for the 2015 Pan American Games and represents the largest federal investment in amateur sport in Canadian history.[7][8]
In addition to the 2015 Pan Am Games, the facility has hosted several other events for the North American Indigenous Games and the Invictus Games in 2017.[9][10]
Design
The architect of the facility is David Clusiau. PCL Construction and NORR Ltd., signed a contract to design, build and finance the facility.[6] The facility was designed by Counsilman-Hunsaker, the company that designed the 1996 Summer Olympics aquatic centre.[11] The facility has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold label.[11]
Aquatics centre
| The facility's aquatic centre | |
| Building information | |
|---|---|
| City | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Built | 2012-2014 |
| Opened | 2 September 2014 |
| Construction cost | $205 million |
| Architect(s) | NORR Limited |
| Home club(s) | Toronto Varsity Blues |
| Pool | |
| Length | 50m |
| Width | 25m |
| Depth | 5m |
| Lanes | 10 |
The centre has three pools: the dive pool (25m), the competition pool (50m) and the training pool (50m). The competition pool has 3,500 seats.[3] The facility doubles the number of Olympic pools in Toronto. The dive pool has three diving platform heights (3, 7.5 and 10 metres) and a dry diving training centre.[3] The centre is the only aquatics facility in the area that meets international competition standards and the first facility with a warm-up pool. The competition pool is regarded as one of the fastest pools in the world.[3] Public lane swim and leisure swim typically takes place in the training pool, while team practice and competition takes place in the competition pool. Ticket prices for lane swim are the same as other City pools.
Field house
The field house is adjacent to the aquatics centre and seats 2,000 people. The field house hosted fencing and modern pentathlon (fencing portion) events during the 2015 Games.[3] The field house consists of three gymnasiums, a 200-metre indoor running facility, racquet sports courts and a centre for fitness which the entire school community can use.[3] Moreover, the facility contains weightlifting equipment and a training area.[6] It is also the home of the Canadian Sports Institute Ontario (CSIO). Starting in 2022, the field house will play host to home games for the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Other facilities
The centre also has a climbing wall, a fitness centre, retail store, food and beverage, and 200m walking track.
Major competitions hosted
| Year | Date | Event | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | February 6–8 | Winter National Canadian Diving Championships | National | |
| 2015 | April 1–4 | Canadian Swimming Trials | National | |
| 2015 | July 16–19 | 2015 Pan American Games | International | |
| 2015 | August 7–15 | 2015 Parapan American Games | International | |
| 2016 | April 5–10 | Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials | National | |
| 2017 | July 19–21 | 2017 North American Indigenous Games | Continental | |
| 2017 | September 28–29 | 2017 Invictus Games | International | |
| 2019 | April 3–7 | Canadian Swimming Trials | National | |
| 2020 | March 30-April 5 | Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials | National | |
| 2022 | October 28-30 | FINA Swimming World Cup | International | [12][13] |
References
- ^ "Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre".
- ^ "Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre | Athletics & Recreation". www.utsc.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ a b c d e f PanAm aquatics centre’s ‘dynamic silhouette’ to highlight transparency
- ^ Province highlights winning bid for $158-million PanAm aquatics centre
- ^ Toronto’s Pan Am costs to double
- ^ a b c Groundbreaking kicks-off start of construction for Pan Am and Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House presented by CIBC 2012-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ City breaks ground on $158M aquatics centre for 2015 Pan Am Games
- ^ Pan Am pools construction starts
- ^ "Toronto 2017 North American Indigenous Games - Venues". North American Indigenous Games. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ "Venues". Invictus Games Toronto 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Scarborough's Pan-Am pool designer created Atlanta Olympics facility
- ^ "Toronto's Pan Am Sports Centre to host FINA Swimming World Cup in October". The Globe and Mail. May 5, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Gillespie, Kerry (October 26, 2022). "World Cup swimming comes to Toronto, a rare home game for Canada's best". The Toronto Star. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at the University of Toronto Scarborough
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at the 2015 Pan Am Games