Advertisement

Local celebrities added to Pan Am Games torchbearer relay

Local celebrities added to Pan Am Games torchbearer relay

A slew of recognizable Canadians have been added to the roster of torchbearers less than three weeks until the start of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games torch relay.

Among the catalog of nine A-listers include NASCAR driver J.R. Fitzpatrick, Edmonton Oilers Darnell Nurse, Canadian Sport Hall of Famer and Olympic silver medalist Steve Bauer, Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy and retired Toronto FC attacker Dwyane De Rosario.

More than 3,000 torchbearers will carry the Pan Am flame to 130 communities. Mayor John Tory urges Torontonians to rally behind the torch relay.

"The torch will travel across Toronto, uniting our neighbourhoods in the spirit of friendship and sport,” he said. “Come out and cheer our torch relay participants on.”

Over the next 10 days, more local celebrities will be announced and during the 41-day torch relay, each of the 3,000 torchbearers will complete, on average, a 200-metre relay segment. The torch will be carried by more than 60 modes of transportation and exceed 5,000 kilometres on the road and 15,000 kilometres by air.

Minister of Sport, Bal Gosal, said these community interactions will generate excitement for the Games and forge ties between communities.

“These encounters have made me proud and strengthened my Canadian identity,” he said. “I encourage all Canadians to take part in torch relay celebrations in their communities to also be inspired by familiar faces.”