Niagara Falls Pan Am Games Torchbearers Announced

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The City of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Parks Commission are proud to announce Richard Deschatelets and Kathleen Hunt as the Niagara Falls Pan Am Games Torchbearers for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay.
The 2015 Pan American Games is an international sporting event that is scheduled to be held from July 10th – 26th, 2015, in Toronto, ON., with some events held right here in Niagara, as well as a few other cities. Approximately 6,000 athletes from 41 nations are expected to participate in 36 sports.
The torch relay will visit Niagara Falls on June 20, 2015 and will feature Deschatelets and Hunt as the community torchbearers. Niagara Falls native Nancy Gee has been announced as a community torchbearer in Welland.
The Niagara Falls Pan Am Games Torchbearers were selected for their demonstrated commitment to sport, healthy living and community engagement.
Richard Deschatelets has been a 12-year member of Canada’s wrestling team, captured two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 1978 and 1982, and two silver and a bronze medal at the Pan Am Games. He is credited with being the most successful wrestling coach in Canadian inter-university sport history at Brock University.
Kathleen Hunt has an impressive career in Badminton, and has been credited for winning the 1987 Provincial Badminton Doubles for girls under 16 and for winning the Ontario under 19 mixed doubles in 1989. In 1988, she competed in the Pan Am Games and won the Ladies Doubles in the under 16 category, in addition to winning the Mixed Doubles Canadian Badminton Championship.
In the Niagara Region, the City of St.Catharines will host some of the best rowers in the world in the home of North America’s largest rowing regatta. Rated as a world-class rowing course by the International Rowing Federation, the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course will host 14 men’s and women’s competitions.
Also, Welland’s Pan Am Flatwater Centre is an ideal spot for hosting fast-paced paddling sports. In preparation for the 2015 Pan American Games, there is a widened a section of the canal, two new buildings (including a timing tower and the athlete centre), a plaza, start towers and permanent seating for 500 spectators.
The Toronto 2015 Pan American Games Torch Relay will be a 41-day journey that will share the Pan Am spirit in more than 130 communities. During the 41-day span, each of the 3000 torchbearers will complete, on average, a 200-metre relay segment. 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 American Games.
“The torch is a unique symbol of the Pan Am Games and carries a powerful energy that will unite Canadians,” said Saad Rafi, CEO, TO2015. “The torchbearers will proudly carry the flame through more than 130 communities, igniting the Pan Am spirit as they go.”

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See the Niagara Falls Pan Am Games Torchbearers in action by staying at a hotel just minutes from the Niagara Parks and the beauty of the Niagara Falls. You can be a spectator to this amazing moment in history! The Clifton Hill Niagara Falls Hotel is just a 5 minute walk down to Queen Victoria Park.

*For further information please contact Melissa Iafrate, Marketing and Communications Coordinator TO2015, at 647-225-4002 or email her at [email protected]