The 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Ontario (TO2015) will feature women’s and men’s baseball and softball competitions. Women’s baseball is going to make its first ever appearance on the program, while men’s softball returns for the first time in 12 years.
Men’s baseball has been on the program of the Pan Am Games of each event since its inauguration in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Women’s baseball will make its debut in an international multi-sport tournament.
Men’s softball and women’s softball first appeared in the Pan Am Games in 1979 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but men’s softball was dropped following the 2003 event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
In 2011 at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Team Canada defeated the United States in the final to earn its first Gold Medal in the men’s baseball tournament at Pan Am Games. The USA topped Canada in the final of the women’s softball competition for the Gold Medal.
Ajax Pan Am Ballpark, located at the Audley Recreation Complex, are jointly funded by the Government of Canada and the Town of Ajax and the ballpark will host all baseball and softball games from July 10 to 26, 2015.
“We’re proud the TORONTO 2015 Games are establishing true equity for men and women in both of these sports, which are phenomenally popular in the Americas and the Caribbean,” said Ian Troop, chief executive officer of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015).
“Ajax will welcome many of the best players and teams in the world from the 41 participating Pan American countries, as well as up to 175,000 spectators. We expect incredible fan support here in the stands.”
TO2015 is turning two current soccer fields into a Games-time baseball diamond and rebuilding an adjacent diamond with new sod and clay to meet the most up-to-date International Baseball Federation (IBAF) standards.
Ajax’s four “pinwheel” fields will host softball training and competitions and will also receive upgrades to meet International Softball Federation (ISF) requirements.
“Ajax is honored to make Pan Am Games history as the place where the first gold medal is awarded in women’s baseball,” said Ajax Mayor, Steve Parish. “Baseball and softball have a long history in Ajax. These renovations will help the residents of our growing town continue to excel in these sports and attract even more prestigious competitions as a legacy of the Games.”
The Pan Am baseball tournament is considered one of the premier international baseball championships in the world. Of the top 20 men’s teams globally, 11 are from Pan American countries.
“Baseball and softball have long been part of Ontario’s sport and community fabric. Come 2015, Ontario will welcome some of the world’s finest ball players, and proudly set the stage for this watershed moment in women’s baseball history, “ said Michael Chan, Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games. “The newly upgraded Ajax Pan Am Ballpark will provide world-class facilities for all levels of ball players to connect, play and build long-lasting memories.”
The overall project costs for this facility are anticipated to come in at $9 million. Construction will start in the summer of 2013.
