It was the busiest day for members of the IOC Evaluation Commission touring Toronto for the third day.
They spent the morning getting detailed briefings on the city’s transportation, accommodation, environmental, customs, immigration and Paralympics’ plans for the Games.
They then took in a performance by the Royal Conservatory of Music Percussion Ensemble.
The group travelled on Toronto’s subway system to its Union Station destination, where it boarded a specially chartered GO Train for a trip to Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum, a venue for several Olympic events.
From Hamilton, the team visited Niagara Falls, St. Catharines where they saw the Twelve Mile Creek kayak and canoe venues, and on to Mississauga to evaluate the Hershey Centre arena.
Then the group split up; some touring the Brampton sports complex, and others the North Caledon Equestian Centre, (both venues outside the city}, ending up at Toronto’s York University tennis courts.
During briefings, commission members were told that Toronto has about 75,000 hotel rooms now and more hotels to be built over the next few years, to accommodate 10,000 tourists, after setting aside rooms for Olympic officials, staff and sponsors.
In all, the group managed to tour all the 28 venues, which had prompted TO-2008 officials to hastily re-arrange the tour’s itinerary.
When asked what he thought of Toronto so far, evaluation commission chairman Hein Verbruggen was non-committal. He said “you know, we had a good trip, a very fruitful one; and, ah, very interesting”.
