Pan Am
Games Organizers Still pushing for diversity suppliers
By William Doyle-Marshall
Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games organizing team
recently hosted a recognition session for its Supplier Diversity Council. Saad
Rafi, Chief Executive Officer said his team reached out to communities and
conducted seven different seminars with CIBC and its own personnel on how to
apply for opportunities that come up in the games.
Rafi is aware that
lots of companies may not be familiar with the procurement process and the
Games team use very strict government-type procurement processes. They ae fair,
they are open to anybody and everybody and you have to meet certain criteria,
he explained. We don’t go and say ‘these projects are strictly for these
countries to apply for or people from this background can apply for. That’s not
how that should work in our view. So we’ve had some success in various
diversity suppliers but it is a competitive process at the end of the day,”
Rafi said. He could not confirm off hand how many contracts were awarded to
Latin American or Caribbean suppliers. He is aware that some people may not
define themselves in that manner.
Meanwhile within
the Caribbean community there are concerns that members of the Diaspora here
are not as involved as they had anticipated. With respect to the search for
volunteers, there are complaints that interested youths have signed up but they
have had not yet heard back from the organizers. Recently Thomas Saras,
President of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada expressed
disappointment that members of his organization had not been included in the
games’ advertising budget. Some members were quite outspoken at their October
meeting. Some even expressed doubts about covering the games at all unless
there was a definite change coming from the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games
Organizing Committee.
In terms of opportunities to secure
contracts as suppliers to the historic games a spokesman for the Caribbean and
African Chamber of Commerce and others in the community expressed
disappointment. It is felt that the organization’s needs thus far are beyond
the reach of businesses in that community. There are very large projects such
as temporary power that requires generators that are industrial size and
trailers that will be necessary live broadcaster of the games.
A number of the proposed facilities are
completed and others are underway as contractors and workmen have their eyes on
the forthcoming event – less than a year away. The CIBC Pan Am Para Pan Aquatic
Centre and Field House on Morningside Drive in the City’s east end is complete
and is currently being used for training in preparation for next year. The
Canada Synchronized Swim Team; the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team; a
nine-time medalist in Parapan swimming, university students and people from the
community are among users of the facility. Organizers consider it a
“spectacular facility” which is believed to be among three of its kind in the
world. Saad Rafi, Chief Executive Officer of the games notes proudly this is an
example of the kind of legacy the games will leave behind for the community.
The York University Track and Field Center is about 80% complete and by spring
the track will be laid down and training facility will be completed. “It will
have a tremendous track for not just York but for other high performance
athletes,” the CEO reported.
Before Rafi came
on board as Chief Executive Officer there was a proposal to have subway
stations and cars named after participating countries. But according to the
CEO, very few of the Consuls General got back to the organisation confirming
their interest. “It had some cost to them too so in the end we thought it
wasn’t practical. We thought we couldn’t do everybody so we moved on to other
ideas with respect to highlighting the Americas and the Caribbean,” he
explained.
Former
Ontario Premier David Peterson who is Chair of the Games Committee said
recently Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games is the biggest deal that will ever hit this
city. He was confident that even people who are not athletes will find
something they’d like in the games -- 50 sports, 30 locations – Welland to
Minden to Oshawa – every kind of sport. He described the games as “the cultural
celebration of a soul and the birth of an athlete.” He cautioned against
getting the impression that this is just about the Caribbean, South and Central
America. It is more than that as the games would include “all of our cultures”,
every single community in this province, he assured.
Members of 41 National
Olympic Committees and 28 National Paralympic Committees will be in Toronto for
the games.The intention is to set new world records.
Track and field athletes, swimmers, cyclists, golfers and other performers in
the respective countries are tuning up their skills for the great occasion.
The Pan Am Games opening ceremonies will be at Rogers
Center July 10 and will be produced by Cirque de Soleil. It ends July 26. The
Para Pan American Games open August 7 at the York Athletic Stadium and
concludes August 14. The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee
(TO2015) has the responsibility of planning, managing and delivering the Games.
Igniting the spirit through a celebration of sport and culture is the
committee’s mission.
