(MENAFN- Arab Times) As Toronto prepared to say goodbye to the Pan American Games on Sunday, the Canadian Olympic chief officially kicked off a campaign to convince the city to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Basking in the glow of a hugely successful Pan Am Games, a bullish Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) president Marcel Aubut presented an enthusiastic sales pitch ahead of the closing ceremonies saying that it was Toronto's time. "It is time to make it crystal clear. I am officially declaring that I will use the full power of my office to lead and advocate for Toronto's candidacy to hold the 2024 Olympic Games," Aubut said during the Pan Am Games closing press conference. "This is it." "My view and the view of my board is that the Pan Am Games paved the way for an Olympic bid. "I think it is time that Toronto, the fourth biggest city in North America, shows to the world that they are also a global city." But getting Toronto mayor John Tory and a cautious city council excited about bringing another multi-billion dollar sporting event to the region will be a tough sell.
A Toronto economic development committee last year unanimously rejected the idea of another Olympic bid. Canada's financial hub has failed in two recent bids for the Summer Games, losing to Atlanta for 1996 and Beijing for 2008. Tory has seemed intrigued about the prospect of a 2024 bid but has not yet committed to throwing the city's hat into a crowded ring that already includes Paris, Rome, Boston, Budapest, Hungary and Hamburg, Germany. The clock is ticking and Toronto will have to decide quickly to meet the Sept. 15 deadline set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for interested cities to submit a letter of intent. "This is the right moment to talk about this," said Aubut. "We are going to work starting tomorrow to be on time for Sept 15.
"The mayor of Toronto has expressed some interest over the last two weeks. I know the system. He will have to convince his colleagues " but I am telling you this is going to start to be more intense because the timing for a candidacy for 2024 is now. "There is nothing that can be done without the mayor of the city. You need a mayor to start the process." Meanwhile, the United States won the inaugural women's baseball competition at the Pan American Games on Sunday, while Uruguay beat defending champion Mexico in the men's soccer final on the closing day of competition. Ecuador's Andres Chocho, who battled both laryngitis and a stomach problem over the last three weeks, led a Latin American sweep of the podium in the men's 50km walk as he crossed in a season- best three hours, 50 minutes and 13 seconds.
Guatemala's Erick Barrondo claimed silver while Mexico's Horacio Nava took bronze in steamy conditions. "This is a reward for a long, long journey for many years of really hard work," said Chocho. "The heat was (a factor) for every one of us. I can handle it really well. I'm really happy to do that because I really like to compete in this kind of event." The United States dominated the medals table, finishing first with 103 gold and 265 overall after 16 days of competition in 36 sports between countries from North America, Latin America, South America and the Caribbean.
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