Next July, Toronto will be inundated with the world’s best athletes as it hosts the 2015 Pan American (or “Pan Am”) Games and the 2015 Parapan American Games.
Sports
Redskins Trademark Taken Away
The trademark for the name “Redskins” used by the Washington Redskins football team, has been cancelled.
Home Team Looking For Wins (Soccer)
Brazil needed to win the first game in the World Cup of Soccer against Croatia last Thursday.
The game was played in Brazil and the team wanted to prove to all Brazilians that hosting the games was worth all the cost and disruption in the country.
“Selfless” Olympian To Be Honoured
An athlete who stepped aside during the Sochi Winter Olympics to let a teammate shine, will be awarded a special medal “from the people of Canada.”
During last winter’s Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Canadian speed skater Gilmore Junio did something incredible.
NBA Takes A Stand Against Racism
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has made a strong statement against racism.
Yesterday, they banned the owner of the LA Clippers basketball team from basketball for the rest of his life. They also said he has to pay a fine of $2.5 million.
Yankee Pitcher Caught With “Pine Tar”
Every professional baseball pitcher wants to throw the ball so the batter can’t hit it.
There are lots of ways to do that.
One way is for the pitcher to throw the ball so that, after it leaves his hand, it “dips down.” That’s known as a curve ball.
Curve balls are tricky to throw. One reason is that it’s hard to grip the smooth, slippery ball.
Last week, a pitcher from the Yankees baseball team was caught using sticky pine tar so he could grip the ball better.
Raptors Headed To Playoffs
Canada’s only basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Toronto Raptors, are generating some excitement.
For the first time in six long years they have made the playoffs.
Of the 30 teams in the NBA, only 16 make it to the playoffs. There will be eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight teams from the Western Conference. The Raptors play in the East.
In the playoffs, each team competes in a best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games moves on to the next round. A team has to win three rounds to make it to the finals. Then, the lone surviving team from the East plays the lone surviving team from the West.
Highlights From The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics came to a close on Sunday.
During the closing ceremonies, all of the athletes walked into the arena together.
At the end of the closing ceremonies, a display is always put on by the country that will host the next winter Olympics. Pyeongchang, South Korea, will host the 2018 games.
Here are just a few of the interesting events that defined this year’s Winter Olympics for Canada and internationally…
Canada’s Women Win Gold
Yesterday was golden for Canada’s female Olympians.
In one of the most exciting hockey games ever played, the Canadian women’s team took the top prize. It was a clash between long-time rivals US and Canada, the best versus the best.
The American women had a solid 2-0 lead going into the third period. But with less than four minutes to go, Canada’s Brianne Jenner put the puck past American goalie Jessie Vetter. The score was 2-1.
Winter Olympics Spark Discussion Of Gay Rights
The Olympics are about athletics and competition.
However, with representatives from so many different countries coming together in one city, it is often about “politics” and “political issues” as well.
In other words, different countries have different rules, laws and beliefs.
Sometimes, countries’ beliefs clash.
That has been the case in Russia at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
