The Pan Am Games torch was lit on Monday at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico by the Aztec people and is now ready to make its way to Toronto for the 2015 Pan Am Games.
The flame is expected to arrive in Toronto next Saturday at the hands of organizers for this summer’s Pan Am Games.
David Peterson, the chair of the organizing committee, told the CBC that upon the arrival of the flame in Toronto there will be a “dramatic ceremony” at the city’s waterfront along with a community celebration.
After the ceremony, the flame will begin a 41-day journey across more than 130 communities with plenty of famous Canadians planning to carry the flame across the nation.
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will be the first to carry the torch. There will be more than 3,000 who will have carried the torch once it reaches the end of its journey at the Pan Am Games opening ceremony on July 10th.
Among those who will be carrying the torch include plenty of athletes. World figure skating champion Patrick Chan, two-time Olympic champion Alexandre Bilodeau, and two-time Olympic medallist Simon Whitfield will all take a turn carrying the torch on its journey back to Toronto.
The Pan Am Games will run July 10-26 with the swimming portion taking place July 14-18th.