Toronto Mayor John Tory urges Pan Am Games gripers to quit complaining
City would qualify for gold medal in moaning and groaning, mayor says, as HOV traffic lanes kick in
Toronto's mayor and an Olympic gold medallist took turns chiding those still complaining about the Pan Am Games on Monday morning.
"I think the only sport that we're not playing at the Pan Am Games is moaning and groaning, and Toronto on a regular basis would be qualifying for a gold medal in that," Mayor John Tory said during an interview on CBC News Network.
At the same time, Adam van Koeverden, Canada's kayaking Olympic champion joined in on CBC Radio's Metro Morning.
"World-class cities throw world-class parties."
The Pan Am Games have drawn criticism from motorists upset with new HOV lane rules and from those who feel the competition isn't truly luring the world's top athletes.
Van Koeverden, who is racing at the Pan Am Games for the first time in his career and trains in Oakville, is still taking the Games seriously.
It's a "bigger deal to race at home," he said.
TO2015 organizers say about 750,000 out of about 1.2 million tickets have been sold, and more than 100 medal events have sold out. More high-profile tickets will also go on sale on Monday.
Tory said "the city is ready" to host the Games and that the buzz is growing as the athletes arrive. He noted that there are more advance events such as the torch relay taking place this week