Pan Ams Come to Close in Toronto

(ATR) Artists Serena Ryder, Pitbull and Kanye West send out the Pan Am Games athletes in style with a concert during the closing ceremony in Toronto.

The athletes from 41 countries were first welcomed into the packed Pan Am Ceremonies Venue with a performance by the group Swing. The athletes gathered in the Rogers Center standing right next to the stage as opposed to the opening ceremony where athletes sit in designated areas.

Canadian artist Serena Ryder raised the crowd enthusiasm with the Pan Am Games theme song Together We Are One. Ryder would be seen again later in the ceremony.

Her performance was followed by a variety of dances representing many different cultures. Dances of the local Native American Mississaugas, the Argentine tango, Caribbean samba and traditional Chinese all demonstrated the wide array of cultures present in Toronto.

The dances were followed by speeches from Toronto 2015 chief executive officer Saäd Rafi and PASO vice president Ivar Sisniega. Sisniega spoke on behalf of PASO president Julio Maglione who is currently in Kazan, Russia for the FINA world championships.

Rafi thanked the athletes of the games in his speech, noting how these games would not be possible without their hard work.

"We built you podiums, but you lifted us all up a little higher," Rafi said.

Sisniega brought the games to their official close during his speech. He echoed the sentiments of Rafi and gave a special thank you to the 23,000 volunteers who contributed their time and dedication throughout the games.

Toronto then passed the torch on to Lima, Peru. Lima will host the 2019 edition of the Pan Am Games. Performers demonstrated traditional Peruvian dances as a messenger gathered the sights and experiences of Peru before bringing them to Toronto.

The athletes then got what they had all been waiting for – the beginning of the concert. Serena Ryder opened up the performance with a 10 minute set of some of her most popular hits.

Ryder was followed by the always energetic Pitbull. Pitbull got the crowd involved and many of the athletes danced along to his high energy performance.

Kanye West brought the concert and the ceremony to a close. He performed the longest set of all of the artists featuring seven of his most popular hits, although not the full versions of these songs.

A week before the ceremony a few petitions began circulating calling for a change in the closing ceremony performers, particularly Kanye West because he is not from Canada. One petition gained over 50,000 signatures to oust the sometimes profane artist.

During his performance at the ceremony, West censored himself in all of his songs that featured strong profane language and used radio edits in some locations, yet a few words slipped through the cracks. Kanye threw the mic into crowd and nonchalantly walked off stage once his set finished.

Spectators and athletes exited the Rogers Center to watch the fireworks taking place at the adjacent CN Tower, signaling the end of the Pan Am Games. The final medal count of the games shows the United States with the most medals at 265, Canada in second with 217 followed by Brazil in third with 141.

Residents in Toronto will now wait for the Parapan Am Games to begin August 7.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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