Canadians Embrace Panamania -- ATRadio

(ATR)Panamania has officially taken over Toronto, as the city marks the first full week of competition in the 2015 Pan American Games.

Around the Ringseditor Ed Hula is in Toronto this week for the Pan Ams and says there is a "real buzz" in Toronto over the event and Canada's delegation of athletes.

"There's strong interest when the home team is playing, but not so much when other countries are performing."

Toronto 2015 organizers say approximately 650,000 people bought tickets to the games in the weeks leading up to the event.Over 6,000 athletes from 41 countries are participating in the Games.

The program for the Pan Ams includes some 364 events in 36 sports. Sixteen sports on the program are serving as qualifiers for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Competition ends on July 26.

Away from the competition, the federation for aquatics in the Americas endorsed Julio Caesar Maglione for another term as president of FINA on Monday. Maglione is an IOC member and president of the Uruguayan National Olympic Committee.

Hula says Maglione has already won endorsements for his reelection from the continental associations for Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

The support from the Americas "kind of seals the deal for him," Hula adds. Maglione has promised this would be his third and final term as president of aquatics' world governing body.

Written and produced byNicole Bennett

Photo: Toronto 2015/Getty Images

For general comments or questions,click here.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics isAroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.