Last Friday the official one-year countdown clock to the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan American Games was unveiled at Nathan Phillips Square. The clock, a brightly-coloured monolith that looks like a cross between a Pac-Man ghost and a swimming-pool kickboard, will tick down the days to the official opening of the Games on July 10, 2015. Continuing the celebration, on Saturday Nathan Phillips Square was turned into a sports-themed midway, with kids' games and event demonstrations and lots of cheerful volunteers waving Pan Am flags. Pachi, the Games's mascot, was in attendance too, dancing, posing for pictures, and hugging everyone. Pachi's a kind of stylized porcupine with a Mohawk of rainbow spikes; maybe he can do some freelance work for Pride next year.
Check out some photos of Saturday's launch party.
· Pachi the porcupine introduced as Pan Am Games's mascot [Toronto Star]
· Toronto Pan Am Games start 1-year countdown [CBC]
· Pan Am Games archives [Curbed Toronto]