pan am games toronto

The top 48 events to see at the Pan Am Games in Toronto by calendar date

On any given day during the Pan Am Games in Toronto, there could be up over 20 sport competitions. It's going to be an exciting two weeks, but it will also be absolutely jammed packed with games. There isn't a single moment not planned for these athletes, but for us spectators, it makes things a bit complicated. It can be difficult to choose which games to see - do I want to go see diving, cycling, squash, or soccer?

Here are my top picks for the top events to see at the Pan Am Games in Toronto by calendar date.

JULY 11

Football (soccer)
The Canadian Women's soccer team will play Ecuador in Hamilton. The Under-20s team is predicted to go far in the competition. Players to watch out for include two FifaWWC 20154 all stars - Kadiesha Buchanan, who won the Best Young Player Award and Ashley Lawrence, who scored against Netherlands.

Rugby Sevens
The Canadian men's rugby team is looking to defend their 2011 title. This is also the Pan Am debut of women's rugby, so be sure to check it out.

Water Polo
Can Canada keep the pressure up? This session began on July 7, and so far Canada is doing well. The women's team tied with Brazil 7-7 in the opening round. July 11 is the last day of preliminary games before the finals.

JULY 12

Mountain Biking
This is a one-day event, so be sure not to miss it. Catherine Pendrel from Fredericton, N.B. is a reigning world and Commonwealth Games champion and hopes to gain a spot on the podium. Also watch out for Canadians Max Plaxton, who won silver in the 2011 Pan Ams, and Amanda Sin, who won bronze.

Women's Gymnastics
Canada won three silver medals for women's gymnastics in the 2011 Pan Am Games and is ready to try and beat that score. Olympian Ellie Black from Halifax is looking to get on the podium.

Men's Softball
The Canadian team took a hiatus from the Pan Am Games after winning every gold medal in the sport. But, now they're back and are hoping to pick up where they left off.

JULY 13

Men's and Women's Gymnastics
Watch the all-around finals which is said to be the most demanding event in artistic gymnastics. It combines floor-work along with other apparatus such as the vault, uneven bars and balance beam. The men's event will start at 12:45 p.m. and the women's at 6:50 p.m.

Men's Soccer (Football)
Canada won't be playing today, but Mexico will be. The last two times Canada has hosted the Pan Am Games, Mexico has won gold. Tune in around 8:30 p.m. and see if the trend continues.

Diving
Diving is one of the Pan Am Games' more popular events - one that Canada is expected to do very well in. Look for the FabIV (Fab Four) synchronized divers (and yes, they call themselves that): Roseline Filion, Jennifer Abel, Meaghan Benfeito and Pamela Ware. The last Pan Ams saw Canada come second in terms of total medal count. Their Mexican rivals came out on top with eight gold medals.

JULY 14

Men's Baseball
Two international champions will meet on the pitch: Canada, who is defending their 2011 Pan Am win, and Cuba, who has 12 gold medals under its belt. The first ball will be thrown at 7 p.m.

Men's and Women's Judo
It is the last day of competition for the Heavyweights in this competition. Brazil and Cuba are expected to go far, each one accumulating a number of gold medals in the last Pan Am Games.

Swimming
The first swimming session begins today and it's bound to be an intense competition. Two-time Olympic medalist Ryan Cochrane from Victoria, B.C. is expected to do very well. But, it's not just the Canadians you should watch out for. American swimmer Natalie Coughlin will be interesting to watch. She has 12 Olympic medals and 18 Pan Am medals under her belt, making her difficult to beat.

JULY 15

Rowing
The rowing medal rounds will be incredibly competitive. The 2011 Pan Am Games saw four countries, including Canada, win eight or more medals. The first event starts at 9 a.m.

Men's and Women's Gymnastics
Watch the Apparatus Finals in men's vault, horizontal bar and parallel bars, and the beam and floor for the women.

Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball
Nothing makes it seem more like summer then watching a good game of beach volleyball - and these games will be good! During the 2011 Pan Am Games, Brazil won gold in both the men's and women's events, so they are the team to beat. Sessions start at 9 a.m.

JULY 16

Men's Soccer (Football)
The Canadian team will continue to fight for their first Pan Am Games medal in a match against Panama at 8:30 p.m. For a full day of soccer, check out the earlier 5:30 p.m. game featuring Peru and Brazil, a four-time Pan Am Games champion.

Women's Volleyball
The volleyball competition begins on this day at the Exhibition Centre. Canada will face the Dominican Republic in the evening, followed by the United States against Peru. Both are games you don't want to miss.

Women's Tennis
The medal games begin today in women's singles and doubles. The teams are all evenly matched in terms of athleticism and success, so it should be a close competition.

JULY 17

Men's Baseball
Canada will face off against the United States around 7 p.m. The last time these two teams played each other at the Pan Am Games, Canada won by a single run. It may get a little intense.

Rhythmic Gymnastics
This is the first day of this sporting event, and Canada is expected to do very well. Patricia Bezzoubenko, a 17-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., won six medals at last year's Commonwealth Games. Five of them were gold.

Men's and Women's Wrestling
The qualifying matches begin in the afternoon and by the evening, athletes will be competing in the medal rounds. Keep an eye out for Canadian freestyle wrestler Carol Huynh, who won gold in the 48g class in the 2007 Pan Ams and a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics.

JULY 18

Modern Pentathanlon
You have to watch this just because it is possibly the coolest sport in existence. It has everything - fencing, swimming, show jumping, shooting, and cross-country running. Olympic medalist Yane Marques from Brazil won gold in the 2007 Pan Am Games, and is looking to do it yet again.

Men's and Women's Trampoline
Team Canada is full of Olympic athletes - Rosie MacLennan and three-time medalist Karen Cockburn will be among the women and reigning Pan Am champion Keegan Soehn and medalist Jason Burnett will be representing the men. Tune in around 7 p.m.

Swimming
This is the last day for the swimming competition, and is therefore the best day to watch because a number of the medal rounds will be held today - including the 4X100m Medley Relay and the 1500m Freestyle.

JULY 19

Women's Softball
Canada will be playing Brazil around 4:30 p.m. while their United States rivals will face off against Puerto Rico at 7 p.m. Canada has won silver in the last four Pan Am Games, and will be looking to finally add a gold medal to their roster.

Women's Soccer (Football)
There will be two great games being played at Pan Am Soccer Stadium. Canada will face one of their biggest rivals, and then Ecuador will play Costa Rica right afterwards.

Volleyball
Classification and semi-final matches for beach volleyball begin today. The men's indoor volleyball team will also be playing today against Puerto Rico in a preliminary competition.

JULY 20

Men's and Women's Boxing
Women's boxing made its debut during the 2011 Pan Am Games, where Canada's Mandy Bujold won gold in the women's flyweight and Mary Spencer won gold in the women's middleweight division. These quarterfinal games will be happening all day.

Waterski and Wakeboard
Ready for some water tricks and jumps? This is the first day of the waterski and wakeboard competition at Ontario Place West Channel. Team Canada and Team U.S.A. will most likely be neck to neck throughout the competition.

Women's Volleyball
There will be a number of volleyball matches throughout the day, starting with Canada against Argentina. The teams have quite a bit of history - Canada beat them in the 1995 Pan Am Games, where they won a bronze medal. The team hasn't been able to beat that win, but they are hoping this will be the year.

JULY 21

Track and Field
Arguably one of the most popular events of the Pan Am Games, track and field begins today. This means that athletes will be competing in a variety of events like long jump, the 5000m, pole vault, javelin, hurdles, triple jump, among a few. It's said that Canada has an excellent group of athletes competing this year.

Men's and Women's Taekwondo
This martial arts sport is great to watch because it's so fast - meaning you can watch elimination rounds, the semi finals, and the medal matches in the same day. Canada has previously won three gold medals in taekwondo. Watch for Ashley Kraayeveld (-67kg) and Marc-AndrĂŠ Bergeron (+80kg), who are both competing today.

Men's Basketball
Canada will compete against the Dominican Republic at 7 p.m. followed by the United States and Venezuela. The Canadian team is filled with three NBA players - although many of the all-stars were kept away from the Pan Am Games. Keep a special eye out for Toronto Raptors star Greivis Vasquez on the Venezuelan team.

JULY 22

Track and Field
In addition to hosting the first of the decathlon events, a number of athletes will be competing in the semifinals and finals of their sport, including the 100, 500 and 800 metres, high jump, and the 400-metre hurdles. Watch for record-setter and Canadian sprinter Andre DeGrasse.

Men's Boxing
Watch the semi-finals for the five weight classifications. at 7 p.m. at the Oshawa Sports Centre.

Men's and Women's Indoor Volleyball
The quarter-final sessions will take place today at 130 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Exhibition Centre.

JULY 23

Track and Field
Yet another day of exciting sport competitions including the men's and women's 200 metres and men's 1,500 metres. Later in the evening, the competitions will include women's pole vault and men's discuss.

Men's Soccer
Two semi-final games will be played today at the CIBC Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium. The first match begins at 5:30 p.m. The Canadian men's soccer team has yet to win a medal at the Pan Ams, and are hoping to make it to one of these games.

Karate
While most other sports are finishing up, men's and women's karate is just beginning. It works like a round robin, with each team in a specific weight category competing throughout the day until the finals in the evening.

JULY 24

Track and Field
There is yet another smorgasbord of events happening at the Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium. The highlights will be the semi-finals in the 4x400-metre relay and the men's 110-metre hurdles.

Women's Baseball
Canada will face off against the United States in the last preliminary round. Both teams are real contenders for gold, and could move on to compete in the medal rounds on July 25-26.

Boxing
Athletes will be fighting for one of the six gold medals up for grabs at this evening competition.

JULY 25

Track and Field
These medal finals include the conclusion of the heptathlon, and finals in the men's 5,000 metres and high jump and the women's 1,500 metres.

Equestrian
This is the final day for Equestrian jumping. All eyes are on Canadian Ian Millar, who has nine medals and is hoping to make it to the double digits.

Road Race
This is a one-day cycling event consists of a 165-kilometre course for men and 82.5 kilometres for women.

JULY 26

Men's Indoor Volleyball
Four teams - three medals. The pressure is on. It's the last day of competition and these athletes will be ready to give it their all. Make sure to tune in between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Racquetball
Athletes will compete in 10 final racquetball matches. This game is fast, intense, and entertaining to watch. Not only that, but it's bound to get competitive. Canada, Mexico, and the United States are all expected to do well and make it to the finals.

Closing Ceremonies
It's going to be quite the party. Produced by Live Nation Entertainment, this celebration will have music, dancing, and a "cultural exhibition." The show will start around 6:45 p.m. and will end with the Torch passing on to Lima, Peru, who will be hosting the 2019 Pan Am Games.

What did I miss? Add your Pan Am Games picks to the comments.

Photo by Kotsy in the blogTO Flickr pool.


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