TORONTO (Reuters) - The Pan American Games got off to a jaw-dropping start on Friday when the world's erstwhile fastest man appeared to throw himself off the iconic CN Tower during a dazzling opening ceremony that shook the city from its Pan Am slumber.
While the opening ceremony, created and inspired by Cirque du Soleil, attracted a capacity crowd of 45,000 to the Rogers Centre, hundreds of thousands of tickets remain unsold for the for the largest multi-sport event ever staged in Canada, raising fears of near-empty arenas at some events.
After two failed Olympic bids, Toronto -- for one night at least -- embraced the Pan Am Games with all its big city might offering more than 7,000 athletes from 41 countries a rousing and memorable welcome.