[1][2] The water polo competitions was the first sporting event to be conducted at the games, beginning three days before the opening ceremony.

[1] This is because the Pan American Games were scheduled to be held roughly around the same time as the 2015 World Aquatics Championships scheduled for Kazan, Russia, thus the competition was moved forward to allow for a sufficient gap between the two events.

[4] The winner of the men's tournament (the United States) qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

[1] The venue was also host the badminton and table tennis competitions, but in the other side of the centre (a triple gymnasium).

The host nation (Canada) and the United States automatically qualified teams in both events.