Oro facility to host Pan Am event

Author: Mike Dodd

Date: Nov 12, 2009

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Mike Dodd

Hardwood Ski and Bike in Oro-Medonte will host mountain biking events during the 2015 Pan American Games.

ORO-MEDONTE: A good portion of the world will beat a path to Oro-Medonte about five years from now.
Last Friday it was announced that Toronto and the surrounding area would host the 2015 Pan American Games, a gathering involving more athletes than the Olympic Games.
Mountain biking events will be held at Hardwood Ski and Bike in Oro-Medonte.
“I think it's really exciting for our area and it will give us a chance to showcase some of the great facilities in the area,” Jack Sasseville, president and general manager of Hardwood.
Equestrian events will also be held at facilities located north of Toronto.
Fourteen municipalities, from Welland to Oshawa, will host Pan Am Games events, with approximately 6,500 athletes and team officials slated to take part.
Many new facilities will be constructed as part of the $2.4-billion bid, including a new aquatics centre at the University of Toronto.
The fact Hardwood was chosen to host the mountain biking events was not a big surprise to Sasseville.
“We feel we have some of the best facilities in Ontario, if not Canada, and being chosen to host this event in mountain biking reinforces what we have believed all along. There are few other facilities in who have the kinds of challenging trails that we do,” he said.
While he was unsure Friday as to whether Pan Am officials will be spending any money to upgrade the facilities at Hardwood, Sasseville said he wouldn't turn down infrastructure dollars, if they were offered.
Toronto Pan Am Games officials had held discussions with Sasseville previously about Hardwood being part of the sports mix.
And prior to that there were discussions with the organizers of the 2008 Toronto Olympic bid and the facility.
Sasseville will be part of the CTV broadcasting crew at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler, providing colour commentary for the Nordic ski events in February.