TORONTO — A red and green cartoon sports figure is the official logo of the 2015 Pan Am Games, which launched Wednesday with a street party in Toronto.
The curved figure looks like it’s kicking a blue ball across the page. The numbers 20 and 15, written in white, are spread across the image.
The logo is being called the visual face of the Games. The theme of the sports event is “United We Play.”
“The folks who designed it spent a lot of time looking at the art and the culture of Pan America, so you’ve got a logo which I think is fun, it’s vibrant,” said CEO Ian Troop.
The design draws on Aztec and Mayan cultures that first used rubber balls in sport, and as burnt offerings to deities, as early as 1600 BC.
“It’s inspired by all the Pan American history of native people’s art and architecture and sculpture, so we think we’ve got something very appropriate for Pan America that will be distinctive and people will really gravitate to.”
Organizers hope the logo will score a goal with sponsors hungry to link their names to the Pan Games in July 2015 and the Parapan Games the following month.
Some companies have already expressed “significant” interest in becoming sponsors, especially ones involved in the Vancouver Olympics in February, said Troop.
The Toronto 2015 board will reach out to companies in October to discuss naming rights for venues and signs and the sponsorship of events at schools or multicultural programs.