Medals for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan American Games have been unveiled at a ceremony held at the Royal Ontario Museum in the Canadian city today.

Organisers claim the medals reflect the "rich story of the People's Games", with a layered design expressing the values of inclusion and diversity, while also encompassing the Aboriginal traditions of welcoming guests and cherishing natural world beauty.

Mark Tewksbury, who won gold for Canada at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, hosted the ceremony and the former swimmer argued how the "Toronto 2015 medals are pieces of art in their own right and reflect all the hard work, dedication and difficult journey athletes will take to wear one around their neck and cherish for life".

The metals were sourced by the Barrick Gold Corporation before being designed and produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, who for the first time in medals history applied the ancient technique of mokume gane, the fusing of different alloys, in order to produce the medals.

They believe that the technique reflects the coming together of athletes to compete in the Games under the motto "United We Play".

Additionally braille also features on the medals to reflect Toronto 2015's commitment to diversity, which will be the first time it has featured on both the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games medals.

"Royal Canadian Mint employees have come together with pride to produce one-of-a-kind medals which truly symbolise the years of training and effort put forth by the remarkable athletes who will compete at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games this summer," said Sandra Hanington, President and chief executive officer of the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Pan Am Games are set to take place from July 10 to 26, with the Parapan Am Games due to follow from August 7 to 15, with 4,283 medals in total up for grabs across the competitions.

"When an athlete has a medal hung around their neck, it is a beginning not the end," added Elisabeth Walker-Young, Team Canada's Chef de Mission for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games.

"The medals that are given out at the Games will hold pride of place in homes, hearts and memories throughout the Americans for decades to come.

"Through the design of the medal, the unity and joy of the Games live on."

With the countdown continuing until the Games, the competition medals will be on temporary exhibition at the Royal Ontario museum from March 14 to 29 and will be available for public viewing at the Royal Canadian Mint pavilion at CIBC Pan Am Park, during the Games.

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Track cycling will not be part of the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time for nearly a century if Durban's bid to host the event in 2022 is successful.

Track cycling is an optional sport of the Commonwealth Games but has featured in every edition from 1934, when track events were held in Manchester, despite the Games being held in London, with the event then still officially known as the Empire Games.

It follows the launch of the South African city's official bid for the Games at Mansion House in London, with track cycling a notable omission from the Bid Book submitted to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

With Durban not having an existing velodrome the potential costs involved in building the venue appear to be the main reason behind track cycling's omission.

It comes less than a year after the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome was one of the main attractions of Glasgow 2014.

Cycling has been one of the more successful sports for both Australia and England in previous editions, the two best achieving nations in the history of the Games.

Road cycling and mountain biking remain on the proposed programme of events for Durban 2022, with mountain biking set to be the event furthest from the host city, 80 kilometres away in Pietermaritzburg on the course on which the 2013 World Championships were held.  

Also missing from the proposed schedule of sports is full-bore shooting a traditional event of the Commonwealth Games and has featured in every edition since its introduction at Kingston 1966.

At this stage no plans appear to be listed for a venue for gymnastics, while despite South African being a foremost cricketing nation, the sport will not feature in 2022.

The CGF have long campaigned for the sport to be a regular part of the Games but, apart from Kuala Lumpur in 1998, the sport has not featured, mainly due to opposition from India and England.

Prince Imran of Malaysia, President of the CGF, revealed they might begin to look towards the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) new model of focusing on events rather than sports.

"We in the [Commonwealth Games] Federation have got to be more flexible as we go forward and I do not think we need to be stuck on 'X number' of sports," he said.
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"You look at what the IOC has put forward, the total numbers and you look at the events, then maybe you can then accommodate more sports."

At the moment, the Commonwealth Games programme consists of 10 core sports - athletics, badminton, men's boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, men's rugby sevens, squash, swimming and weightlifting - with each host selecting up to seven others of their choice.

Potential changes to this system are likely to be confirmed at September's CGF General Assembly in Auckland.

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The Trinidad International Marathon Walk on Sunday 25 January 2015 is only the beginning of sustained efforts by the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee( TTOC) to raise funding for (10 or more Olympic Gold Medals by the year 2024) #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation  .

#10golds24 will require a sustained and ongoing national fund raising effort.

#10golds24 is the vision behind the dream that Trinidad and Tobago(TTO) can produce Olympic Champions on a sustained , systemic and planned basis.

An Olympic Gold medal  must no longer be perceived as a happy accident or in spite of or lack of a national sport system.

It requires system strategy and structure in respect of talent identification , development, retention and performance management.

TTO athletes have carried the burden and endured the financial hardships for too long. They need support during the journey not when they win an Olympic  medal.

As a nation we must be confident in the belief and vision that Trinidad and Tobago can produce 10 or more Olympic Champions by 2024.

We have a rich and cherished Olympic history and tradition since first being accepted by the International Olympic Committee( IOC) in 1948.

#10golds24 seeks to clarify the development pathway and performance management system  that will holistically  foster, mentor, nurture and develop Olympians and Olympic Champions.

At the centre of #10golds24 are the athletes who can be positive role models for the children, youth and young people  of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) is encouraging  the public to continue to rally around #10golds24 and our athletes and make their donations  at any Scotia Bank Branch  Account number  171188.

Or by cheque made payable to TTOC. Which can be dropped off or posted to TTOC Olympic House 121 Abrecromby Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Minister of Sport Senator Brent Sancho met with Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis on Friday at the Office of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago .

Since coming into Office, it is the second meeting held between the Minister and the national Olympic committee.

The Minister was updated on the progress of the TTOC’s plans for the upcoming Pan Am Games scheduled to take place in Toronto, Canada in July.

The main item on the agenda were travel plans and arrangements for the national contingent for the Games.

“Minister Sancho has been very positive and proactive in ensuring that the Ministry’s support is in place. He has asked us (TTOC) to keep him updated as he wants to make sure there are no hiccups and that all arrangements are in place well in advance of the Pan Am Games,” Lewis stated in a press release yesterday.

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28 February- Port of Spain.

Minister of Sport Senator Brent Sancho met with Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) President Brian Lewis yesterday at the Office of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago .

Since coming into Office It is the second meeting held between the Minister and the national Olympic committee.

The Minister was updated on the progress of the TTOC plans for the upcoming Pan Am Games scheduled for Toronto , Canada in July.

Main item on the agenda was Travel plans and arrangements for the Pan Am Games.

" Minister Sancho has been very positive and proactive in ensuring that the Ministry's support is in place . He has asked us(TTOC) to keep him updated as he wants to make sure there are no hiccups and that all arrangements are in place well in advance of the Pan Am Games. "

SportAccord Convention has signed up PwC as a Gold Partner for this year's World Sport and Business Summit in Sochi.

This latest deal marks the multinational professional services network's third year as a gold partner for the event and will see its cities and local Governments consulting global leader Hazem Galal deliver a keynote address on legacy - one of the summit's central themes.

"Our Gold Partnership with PwC continues to be of great value to us as an organisation and we are delighted to have PwC deliver the keynote address," said Nis Hatt, the managing director of SportAccord Convention.

"We are very pleased that the partnership is continuing and that we are able to provide a platform for PwC to meet its business objectives."

The PwC delegation set to travel to this year's Convention, which takes place at the Sochi ExpoCentre in the Russian city from April 19 to 24, includes officials from key territories across its global network, including from Switzerland, the Middle East, the United States and Russia.

"SportAccord Convention is important to us as a platform for connecting with sport industry decision makers and speaking with them about the issues critical to their success," said Robert Gruman, who heads PwC's global sports mega-events centre of excellence.

"It gives us a chance to engage with delegates in an open, constructive atmosphere.

"This year, we are proud that our colleague Hazem Galal, PwC's cities and local Governments consulting global leader, has been asked to deliver the keynote address on legacy.

"In connection with that, we also plan to carry out a Sporting Leaders Survey on legacy in partnership with the SportAccord Convention World Sport and Business Summit organisers."

PwC now joins Sport Event Denmark, the Combat and Strength Sports Confederation of Kazakhstan and the Macau Sport Development Board as other 2015 SportAccord Convention Gold Partners.

The six-day World Sport and Business Summit will allow key decision-makers in sport to engage with business leaders across more than 25 industry sectors.

It will feature a dynamic exhibition, LawAccord, City Forum, the SportAccord Convention Village and Sports Demo Zone, as well as hosting the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

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