[8] In April 2008, after discussions with all three levels of government, the COC chose to support Toronto and the surrounding region as the Canadian candidate.

[13] Toronto faced two other finalists shortlisted Lima, Peru (which later won the rights to host the 2019 Pan American Games), and Bogotá, Colombia.

[15] The 2015 Pan American Games used a mixture of new venues and existing and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Exhibition Place.

[17] In January 2012, the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games (TO2015) announced that sixty percent of the venues that had been proposed would be dropped in favour of a clustering system seen at other multi-sport events such as the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

[18] The opening and closing ceremonies were held at Rogers Centre (renamed "Pan Am Dome" due to sponsorship rules).

Some of the competition venues in the Toronto area included BMO Field (renamed "Exhibition Stadium" due to sponsorship rules), the Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields, the Enercare Centre and the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, while the road cycling and marathon events include High Park west of Exhibition Place.

[16] The Toronto 2015 Organizing Committee and three jurisdictions of government were to spend about CA$672 million in upgrading and building new venues in the region.

In addition, CA$709 million was to be spent on building an athletes' village in the West Don Lands area of Toronto.

[21] In 2016, Ontario auditor-general Bonnie Lysyk issued a report suggesting that the games were over-budget by CA$342 million.

[26] In October 2013, an expansion of the Pan Am site was announced to help complete 250 kilometres (160 mi) in gaps in Ontario's Trans Canada Trail and connect communities from Ottawa to Windsor and Fort Erie to Huntsville in time for the games.

The torch was brought through a total of 130 communities, mostly in Ontario (with five outside the province: Richmond, Winnipeg, Calgary, Halifax and Montreal).

The relay also visited five National Historic Sites of Canada, six Canadian Forces bases and one provincial park.

[49][50] The opening ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games took place on Friday, July 10, 2015, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EDT at Rogers Centre.

[59][60] All 41 nations of PASO competed, one fewer than in the 2011 Pan American Games, as the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee was dissolved in 2011.

[62] A record 19 sports were direct or indirect (such as opportunities to gain qualification times) qualifiers for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

[70] *   Host nation (Canada)A total of 1,232 media personnel were accredited with covering the games, including broadcast, press and photographers.

[89] Spanish language rights were sub-licensed to Telelatino and Univision Canada; the broadcaster collaborated with US Spanish-language rights-holder ESPN Deportes on its own coverage.

[100] According to Ian Troop, the former chief executive officer of Toronto 2015 organizing committee, the logo is designed on the basis of the different art styles seen throughout the 41 countries that compete at the games.

[103] The final six were selected based on originality, how well they represent Canadian culture and the branding of the Games, and the appeal they had amongst adults and children.

[102] On July 17, 2013, Pachi the Porcupine was revealed as the official mascot of the games at an unveiling at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre.

[104] The name Pachi (ぱち) means "clapping with joy" in Japanese, while the 41 quills the porcupine has represent the 41 participating countries at the games.

Considering it a symbol of their legacy, Mayor of Toronto John Tory solicited suggestions for a permanent location for the sign following the Games.

All events were scheduled to be completed by July 24, six days before the opening ceremonies of the World Championships, which in itself was moved back a week to accommodate the games.

[129] Toronto decided not to bid to host matches during the Women's World Cup due to a potential conflict with the Games.

[132] In September 2013, it was reported that many senior members of the organizing committee, including then-CEO Ian Troop, expensed Ontario taxpayers for things such as a cup of tea.

[137] The games' organizing committee came under scrutiny for the high compensation and bonus packages its executive team has been awarded.

Additionally, in 2013 it was revealed that as part of his compensation package, Troop would be eligible for a CA$780,000 bonus at the end of his contract, if the games had finished successfully.

[139] In 2015, it was revealed that Troop's replacement, Saad Rafi, would receive a bonus of 100 percent of his CA$428,794 salary upon completion of his contract.

Only condensed, tape-delayed highlights of events aired on CBC Television, drawing comparisons to the similar practices imposed by NBC's coverage of the Olympics.

Critics perceived these last-minute changes as signs that the CBC had underestimated viewer interest in the Pan Am Games.