OTTAWA-The Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Organizing Committee recently announced a 10-person Athlete Advisory Council which includes former National Team player Warren Sawkiw of Mississauga, ON.
The committee, made up of 10 former and current high performance Canadian athletes, will provide their expertise in areas such as: enhancing the athlete experience, encourage community engagement and creating an intimate and authentic Games experience.
“As a former Canadian National Junior and Senior Baseball Team member, I am exceptionally thrilled to be part of the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games Athlete Advisory Council,” said Sawkiw. “As a resident of Mississauga and living directly on one of the major throughputs that will connect Toronto to the rest of South-West Ontario, I will have the unique ability to watch our city transform and grow through the ramp-up to the Games.”
Toronto and South-West Ontario will be put on the world stage in the summer of 2015 and Sawkiw sees this as an excellent opportunity to showcase the area to the world’s finest athletes and give Canadian athletes the unique opportunity to compete in a world-class event in Canada.
“South-West Ontario is the perfect match for this event that will bring together the Caribbean, as well as North & South America,” explained Sawkiw. “The Pan/Parapan Am Games will give many of our youth an opportunity to participate and fulfill their dreams... right in their own backyard!”
A member of five different National Teams including the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea where baseball was a demonstration sport, Sawkiw also enjoyed a professional career in the sport and has kept involved in the game as a broadcaster.
Sawkiw’s application was chosen from over 40 submissions and based on his experience as an athlete and his enthusiasm for this new challenge, the selection committee made the right choice.
“I plan to participate wholeheartedly, and I encourage all in the sporting community to volunteer to make these the “best” Games ever imaginable.”
