For Toronto community organizer Francis Atta, being selected as one of the first official Pan Am Games torchbearers is proof that “anything is possible.”

Atta, a 28-year-old motivational speaker from the Jane and Finch area, told the Star he hoped his success would inspire others in his community.

“I do hope that I get to run the torch in Jane and Finch,” he said. “I’m here for everybody that failed in life, everybody that gave up. . . I’m standing up here for them to show them that there is a good side. If you keep working hard, anything is possible.”

Atta was among the first 11 confirmed torchbearers that will run the torch relay ahead of the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto this summer.

They were introduced alongside the Toronto 2015 torch design at a ceremony at the Ontario Science Centre on Monday.

Measuring 65 cm in height (roughly the same as two wine bottles) and able to withstand 70 km/h winds, the bright orange and yellow Pan Am torch depicts images of athletes in motion, reflecting the Games’ motto, “United We Play!”

“I’m absolutely thrilled. . . you saw the enthusiasm. It’s fun to be a part of,” said Simon Whitfield, an Olympic gold and silver medalist in triathlon, and the Pan Am torchbearer ambassador.

Whitfield, who carried the Olympic torch for Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, said the biggest take-away from that experience was seeing the passion of everyone involved.

“People are so passionate about celebrating something that is so special. It’s not just about sports, but about people coming together,” he told the Star.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard) were on hand to welcome the torchbearers.

“When the torchbearers carry the flame. . . they will ignite a sense of pride and community in the lead-up to the games,” Tory said during the event.

Organizers also unveiled the torchbearer uniforms: white shorts and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the “Toronto 2015” logo in yellow and orange.

The torch will be on public display at the CN Tower March 17-20.

Zsofia Balazs, a Toronto police officer who won a silver medal in swimming at the 2007 Pan Am Games in Brazil and competed in Mexico in 2011, said it was a “huge honour” to be chosen as a torchbearer.

She said she hoped to qualify for the 10-kilometre, open-water swimming event, and compete in front of a home crowd.

“I’ve seen the energy that the athletes gain from their home crowd. Me being from Toronto, it’s a huge honour to be able to compete in front of my family and friends,” Balazs said.

More than 3,000 people will carry the torch for about 200 metres each when the relay begins May 30. It will pass through 130 communities and be transported in a variety of ways, including by plane, train and ferry boat.

Torch run locations

The flame will be lit in May at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, just outside Mexico City, before travelling to Canada. It will make its last stop at the Pan Am opening ceremony in Toronto on July 10.

Organizers say that 85 per cent of Ontario residents are within one hour of the route. The flame will also visit Richmond, Calgary, Winnipeg, Gatineau, Montreal and Halifax.

Pan Am Games medals unveiled

Steve Lange, senior director of brand and creative services for the Toronto 2015 games, said the torch design seeks to highlight unity among people across Canada.

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“This is when the games get real, when the communities will really get involved. It’s a chance for people to engage with the relay and celebrate that the games are coming,” he told the Star.

Nearly 7,000 athletes from 41 countries across the Americas and the Caribbean will compete at the Pan Am Games from July 10-26. The Parapans run from Aug. 7-15.

Two Parapan Am flames will be lit on Aug. 3, and the torches will make their way along the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail from Niagara Falls and Ottawa, respectively.

The five-day, 700-kilometre relay will be the longest ever held in a Parapan Am competition.

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