2015 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names
PAGASA names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as a tropical depression in their area of responsibility located between 135°E and 115°E and between 5°N and 25°N even if the cyclone has had an international name assigned to it. The names of significant tropical cyclones are retired, by both PAGASA and the Typhoon Committee. Should the list of names for the Philippine region be exhausted then names will be taken from an auxiliary list of which the first ten are published each season. Unused names are marked in gray.


2015 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, International names
During the season 25 tropical storms developed in the Western Pacific and each one was named by the JMA, when the system was judged to have 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 65 km/h (40 mph). The JMA selected the names from a list of 140 names, that had been developed by the 14 members nations and territories of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. During the season the names Atsani, Champi and In-fa were used for the first time, after they had replaced the names Morakot, Ketsana and Parma, which were retired after the 2009 season.


2015 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Philippines
During the season PAGASA used its own naming scheme for the 15 tropical cyclones, that either developed within or moved into their self-defined area of responsibility. The names were taken from a list of names, that had been last used during 2011 and are scheduled to be used again during 2019. The names Betty, Jenny, Marilyn, and Nona were used for the first (and only, in case of Nona) time during the year after the names Bebeng, Juaning and Mina were retired.


2015 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Philippines
The name Nonoy was originally included on the list; however, for political reasons as it sounds like Noynoy, the former President of the country, it was redacted and replaced with Nona in mid-December when Tropical Storm Melor entered PAGASA's AoR.


2015 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Retirement
After the season the Typhoon Committee retired the names Soudelor, Mujigae, Koppu and Melor from the naming lists, and in February 2017, the names were subsequently replaced with Saudel, Surigae, Koguma and Cempaka for future seasons, respectively.


2015 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Retirement
PAGASA also stated that after the season the names Lando and Nona would be stricken out from their naming lists, as they had caused over ₱1 billion in damages during their onslaught in the country. They were subsequently replaced on the list with the names of Liwayway and Nimfa which was both used during the 2019 Pacific typhoon season.


2015 Pacific typhoon season, Season effects
This table summarizes all the systems that developed within or moved into the North Pacific Ocean, to the west of the International Date Line during 2015. The tables also provide an overview of a systems intensity, duration, land areas affected and any deaths or damages associated with the system.


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships
The 2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships were held from November 7 to 14 at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The top two teams from the men's and women's tournaments qualified for the 2016 World Men's Curling Championship and the 2016 Ford World Women's Curling Championship, respectively.


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Men, Teams
Skip : Zang JialiangThird: Xu XiaomingSecond: Ba DexinLead: Wang JinboAlternate: Zou Dejia


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Men, Teams
Skip : John LiThird: Ko Yuk-hangSecond: Justin WanLead: Chan Chun-kuenAlternate: Law Cho-kam


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Men, Teams
Skip : Yusuke MorozumiThird: Tsuyoshi YamaguchiSecond: Tetsuro ShimizuLead: Kosuke MorozumiAlternate: Kohsuke Hirata


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Men, Teams
Skip : Viktor KimThird: Abylaikhan ZhuzbaySecond: Daniel KimLead: Muzdybay KudaibergenovAlternate: Abilay Nurumbetov


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Men, Teams
Skip : Peter de BoerThird: Sean BeckerSecond: Scott BeckerLead: Brett Sargon


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Men, Teams
Skip : Kim Soo-hyukThird: Kim Tae-hwanSecond: Park Jong-dukLead: Nam Yoon-hoAlternate: Yoo Min-hyeon


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Women, Teams
Skip : Liu SijiaThird: Liu JinliSecond: Yu XinnaLead: Wang RuiAlternate: Mei Jie


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Women, Teams
Skip : Satsuki FujisawaThird: Chinami YoshidaSecond: Yumi SuzukiLead: Yurika YoshidaAlternate: Kotomi Ishizaki


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Women, Teams
Skip : Olga TenThird: Olga PaninaSecond: Nargiz IssayevaLead: Regina LankinaAlternate: Anastassya Spirikova


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Women, Teams
Skip : Chelsea FarleyThird: Thivya JeyaranjanSecond: Tessa FarleyLead: Eleanor AdvientoAlternate: Emily Whelan


2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, Women, Teams
Fourth: Gim Un-chiThird: Lee Seul-beeSecond: Um Min-jiSkip: Kim Ji-sunAlternate: Yeom Yoon-jung


2015 Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships
The 2015 Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships were held from January 19 to 24 in Naseby, New Zealand. The two South Korean teams, top finishers of each tournament, advanced to the 2015 World Junior Curling Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.


2015 Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships, Men, Round Robin Results
All draw times are listed in New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+8).


2015 Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships, Women, Round Robin Results
All draw times are listed in New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+8).


2015 Pahang FA season
The 2015 season has been Pahang FA's 12th season in the Malaysia Super League. Parang began the season on 31 January 2015, with the opening game of their Malaysia Super League campaign. They also competed in the three domestic cups: the Malaysia FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup and the Malaysia Charity Shield.


2015 Pahang FA season, AFC Cup, Knock-out stage
The Persipura Jayapura v Pahang match was not played as scheduled as Pahang players were denied entry into Indonesia due to visa issues. The AFC announced on 10 June 2015 that as a result, Persipura Jayapura forfeited the match and was considered to have lost the match by 3–0, based on the AFC Cup 2015 Competition Regulations and the AFC Disciplinary Code.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash
On 8 May 2015, a Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter of the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps crashed in Naltar, in the Gilgit District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, killing eight people. Among the victims were the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines to Pakistan, as well as the spouses of the Indonesian and Malaysian ambassadors to Pakistan, and three crew.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash
Government officials and international dignitaries were travelling to the Naltar Valley where the Prime Minister was hosting lunch for the members of the diplomatic corps. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was scheduled to travel by fixed-wing aircraft, while 32 foreign diplomats and their spouses as well as 25 other Pakistanis were flown in from Islamabad to Gilgit Airport hours earlier, from where a flight of four helicopters was scheduled to transport them to nearby Naltar. Two of the helicopters had already landed at the time of the incident. The helicopter lost control and crashed while landing; the cause of the crash has been attributed to mechanical failure of the helicopter's tail rotor.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Background
The Pakistani dignitaries and international diplomats from 37 countries along with their families were on a three-day visit to Gilgit-Baltistan as part of the efforts of the Government to showcase the beauty and culture of Northern Areas. The programme included Lunch by the Prime Minister at Naltar, visits to Hunza, Altit Fort, Baltit Fort, Atabad Lake and Phunder Lake including cultural/sports activities. The delegation had been flown in from Nur Khan Air Force base in Islamabad to Gilgit Airport via Pakistan Air Force's C-130 transport aircraft, arriving earlier in the morning.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Background
From Gilgit Airport, the delegation was scheduled to be ferried via a convoy of three Pakistan Army's Mil Mi-17 helicopters to Naltar Valley, located 45 km from Gilgit. Naltar is part of the Karakoram mountain range and is the oldest ski resort in the country, located at 10,000 feet. At the time of the incident, the two other helicopters carrying delegation members had already landed.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Background
The helicopter crash landed into the roof of an Army Public School building in Naltar while it was preparing to land at the helipad nearby. A local farmer who lived about 100 metres away from the school told Reuters that the school was closed at the time of the crash. According to eyewitnesses, while the helicopter was landing, it lost control, began swinging, whirling and stalled mid-air, and dropped suddenly, crashing onto the school building roof. The crash was followed by an explosion and the helicopter caught fire, followed by the school building.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Background
Police and emergency medics rushed to the site, breaking the helicopter windows and dragged people out for evacuation. An explosion occurred a few minutes later injured some medics. The injured were immediately air lifted to the local Combined Military Hospital. The Police cordoned off the area, following up on security arrangements which had been made three days earlier ahead of the Prime Minister's visit.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Background
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was on a plane and en route to Gilgit upon hearing of the incident, cancelled his trip and returned to Islamabad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tasked the Crisis Management Cell with inquiries on the crash. The incident was the worst aviation accident in the country since the Bhoja Air's Flight 213 crash in 2012, which resulted in 127 deaths. It was also the most serious aviation accident involving the deaths of dignitaries since the 1988 Pakistan One C-130 crash, which killed President Zia-ul-Haq, American ambassador Arnold Raphel and other key American officials. Previously, there have been four Mi-17 helicopter crashes in Pakistan, including three minor ones in 2004, 2007 and 2012, and a major one in 2009.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Victims
The helicopter was carrying a total of 17 passengers and three crew. Of the passengers, 11 were foreigners and six were Pakistanis. Eight people died in the crash: the two pilots (Major Altamash and Major Faisal), a crew member (Naib Subedar Zakir), three ambassadors – Leif Larsen of Norway, Domingo Lucenario of the Philippines, and Burhan Muhammad of Indonesia (the latter dying on his wounds on 19 May), as well as the spouses of the high commissioner of Malaysia and ambassador of Indonesia, Habibah Mahmud, and Heri Listyawati Burhan Muhammad.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Victims
The ambassadors of Poland (Andrzej Ananicz), the Netherlands (Marcel de Vink), and Romania (Emilian Ion) and the high commissioners of Malaysia (Hasrul Sani Mujtabar) and South Africa (Mpendulo Jele) were among the wounded, suffering minor to critical injuries. The casualties' names were released by the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major-General Asim Bajwa.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Investigation
The helicopter crash was attributed to technical and mechanical fault, indicated by the air force inquiries. Initial military reports suggested engine failure. Developing reports later revealed a failure in the helicopter's tail rotor while it was landing, which caused it to lose control and crash. The black box was recovered. According to Foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad, "It was purely an accident, and accidents do happen." Ahmad added that the helicopter was serviced regularly, with the last service taking place 11 hours before the crash. The Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Air Staff constituted a military board of inquiry, the results of which would be made available to the public.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Investigation
One air force official explained how due to mountain ranges the region was an extremely difficult terrain for helicopter flights, adding "It was close to landing when it started to spin. So, most probably it is a tail rotor malfunction." Testaments by the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Suhail Aman stated that the behavior of the helicopter was normal before landing and the pilots had contact with the base commander. The helicopter suddenly lost control due to mechanical failure moments before it was about to land. Air Chief Marshal Aman added that the pilots were "proficient and excellent" and had experience with flights in the area.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared the following Saturday a national day of mourning, during which the national flag was lowered to half-mast, and expressed "deep grief and sorrow over the tragic incident", and said he "extended heartfelt condolences to those who lost their lives in this incident." The Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, expressed his "deepest grief" at the incident, stating: "it is a sad day for all of us and our heart goes out to the bereaved families at this sad moment of their life." The Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Shah Jehan Mir also expressed shock and visited the hospital to inquire about the injured. Condolences also poured in from throughout the country and internationally.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
Pakistani authorities ruled out the possibility of a terror attack, following up on a claim by the militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban that it had downed the helicopter with an anti-aircraft missile, stating its target to be the Prime Minister. This claim was promptly dismissed as "bogus" by foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, who confirmed that the accident occurred due to a technical fault, adding that full security arrangements had been in place and Taliban groups did not operate in the region. The Pakistani military also ruled out terrorism as a cause of the crash. Eyewitnesses and other diplomats present on the ground confirmed that the aircraft was not hit or shot down.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
The Pakistan Air Force started an inquiry into the crash. Pakistani government representatives promised a transparent and full inquiry to investigate the crash from all angles. The Prime Minister and Pakistani government also contacted the governments of Norway, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to offer condolences over the tragedy and discuss details of the crash. Nawaz Sharif directed four federal ministers, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Rana Tanveer Hussain and Balighur Rehman to accompany the dead bodies with full honors on special flights to Norway, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia respectively.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
A day later, the injured and the bodies of the dead were transported by Pakistan Air Force aircraft back to the Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad. They were received by top civil and military officials at the airbase, and the dead bodies were accorded military honors and protocol. The Chief of Army Staff condoled with relatives and diplomats at the airbase.


2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash, Aftermath
In a special Condolence Meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the incident, also attended by the diplomatic community in Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recommended bestowing the civil award Sitara-e-Pakistan on those who died. The Indonesian Ambassador, who received critical burns, was transported to Singapore via a Singaporean air ambulance. The Dutch ambassador was also flown back to his country.


2015 Pakistan Day Parade
Pakistan Day Parade 2015 was a military parade held on 23 March 2015 to commemorate 75 years since the Lahore Resolution of 1940. The parade was held after gap of 7 years because of growing wave of terrorism, however the decision to hold the parade was held after the launch of a mass anti-terrorism operation by the Pakistan Army. It was widely seen as a rather successful attempt to boost the self-confidence to general public.


2015 Pakistan Day Parade, Overview
The three-hour parade featured all three service branches, the Army, Navy, and Air Force – including the army's strategic command force, which administers land-based nuclear weapons arsenal. The parade featured nuclear-capable and conventional missiles, indigenously manufactured tanks, and a squadron of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets along with Pakistan's first locally manufactured armed unmanned aerial vehicle. It was overseen by Mamnoon Hussain and Nawaz Sharif.


2015 Pakistan Day Parade, Overview
The parade was welcomed by national media outlets, Dawn called the parade as a 'highly anticipated' event while Pakistan Today called the event as crucial to refreshing nation's patriotism. Indian news outlet NDTV joined Reuters in calling the parade as sending a message to neighboring India. The Guardian called the revival of the military parade after a seven-year marking a further step in the rehabilitation of the army after a dismal period. An opinion piece in The New York Times highlighted the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping didn't attend the event.


2015 Pakistan cyclone
Severe storm hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan on the night of April 26, 2015. It caused considerable damage in the cities of Peshawar, Nowshera, and Charsadda. The storm featured heavy rains accompanied by hail and high-speed winds of over 120 kilometers per hour (or 75 miles per hour). As a result of the storm's damaging effects, 45 people were killed and over 200 were wounded.


2015 Pakistan cyclone
The storm occurred after parts of Pakistan were already partially flooded from prior rainfall in February 2015, up to a meter (or three feet) deep in some places. The storm also collapsed many buildings’ walls and roofs, took down many electricity poles, and killed livestock and damaged many crops in rural Peshawar and Charsadda (including wheat crops and orchards).


2015 Pakistan cyclone, Aftermath
After the storm, many people remained injured or without drinkable water, food, and shelter. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government organized and sent members of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PMDA) and the military to aid with rescue and recovery efforts in the areas affected.


2015 Pakistan cyclone, Aftermath
Subsequent wind ,rain and hail in the aftermath of the cyclone disrupted the power supply and telecommunication services in the region. The storm was informally dubbed a “mini-cyclone” in the press. Satellite imagery (see sidebar) and ERAI reanalysis data suggest that it was not a synoptic-scale cyclone but was rather a form of mesoscale convective system, which can create intense winds in the form of a tornado or a derecho.


2015 Pakistan cyclone, Aftermath
Heavy weather on the next day forced the Pakistani military to cancel two flights to Nepal taking supplies to survivors of the earthquake on the previous day.


2015 Pakistan heat wave
A severe heat wave with temperatures as high as 49 °C (120 °F) struck southern Pakistan in June 2015. It caused the deaths of about 2,000 people from dehydration and heat stroke, mostly in Sindh province and its capital city, Karachi. The heat wave also claimed the lives of zoo animals and countless agricultural livestock. The event followed a separate heat wave in neighboring India that killed 2,500 people in May 2015.


2015 Pakistan heat wave, Recorded temperatures
Extreme temperatures started to grip Pakistan's southern areas on 18 June 2015, and peaked on 20 June:


2015 Pakistan heat wave, Recorded temperatures
Karachi recorded its highest temperatures since 1979. By 24 June 2015, the temperature and death toll began to abate; the maximum temperature in Karachi was 37 °C (98 °F), and officials reported 58 deaths compared to 300 the previous day.


2015 Pakistan heat wave, Contributory factors
Asif Shuja, the former director general of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, claimed the heat wave was a symptom of global climate change, aggravated by deforestation, expansion of asphalt superhighways, and rapid urbanisation. He maintained that "there has been a rise in the Earth's average temperature from 15.5 °C (59.9 °F) to 16.2 °C (61.2 °F) over the last 100 years, due to which we are experiencing such extreme weather conditions both in summers and winters." Shuja went on to say that the lack of sophisticated weather prediction technology in Pakistan contributed to the casualties of the heat wave.


2015 Pakistan heat wave, Contributory factors
Moreover, widespread failures of the electrical grid left many locations without working air-conditioners, fans, or water pumps, adding further to the death toll. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tasked a committee comprising Abdul Qadir Baloch, a retired General of the Pakistan Army and Minister for States and Frontier Regions, together with State Minister for Health Sciences Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar. The two Ministers visited Karachi's Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in the wake of deaths due to the severe heat wave. Speaking to the media during their visit, Baloch said that the K-Electric was being investigated for load shedding. Baloch held the K-Electric, KW&SB and Sindh government responsible for the increase in heat wave mortality in Karachi. The power regulator NEPRA reported that K-Electric was not generating electricity according to its generation capacity.


2015 Pakistan heat wave, Contributory factors
The heat wave coincided with the month of Ramadan, when Muslims observe fasting and no drinking from dawn till dark. This increased the risks of dehydration and heat stroke.


2015 Pakistan heat wave, Emergency measures
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared a state of emergency, activated military relief efforts, and warned electric supply companies that he would not tolerate power outages during Ramadan. The Sindh government declared an emergency for all government hospitals in the province, and the University of Karachi postponed its exams for at least one month. An influential Muslim cleric in Pakistan decreed a fatwa that if "a religious and qualified doctor" advises (for safety of life), Muslims are allowed to skip or break their Ramadan daytime fast, and then to complete those days of fasting when Ramadan and the emergency have passed. At the peak of the June 2015 heat wave, the number of corpses exceeded local capacities for storage or burial, as the emergency efforts proved insufficient to prevent enormous loss of life.


2015 Pakistani Senate election
Senate elections were held in Pakistan on 5 March 2015 to elect the replacements for 52 retiring senators. Those retiring include chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and deputy chairman Sabir Ali Baloch of the upper house. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the majority party in Senate, would lose 21 members, followed by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz would lose 9 and Awami National Party would lose 6 members.


2015 Pakistani Senate election
According to the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), nomination papers for the election were submitted on 12 and 13 February, while scrutiny of the papers was held on 16 and 17 February. The list of contesting candidates was issued on 25 February. Polling for the 52 seats will be held on 5 March. For 11 seats, each of the four provinces' polling will be held in the provincial capitals, while polling for seats from the federal capital and FATA will be held in the National Assembly. According to the ECP notification, in each province elections will be held for seven general seats, two seats for technocrats and Ulema and two reserved seats for women.


2015 Pakistani Senate election
Elections are held indirectly; to win one seat in Senate, the candidates would require 52 votes from the Punjab Assembly, 24 from the Sindh Assembly, 18 from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 9 from the Balochistan Assembly.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Election Day
According to The Express Tribune, four contestants already elected unopposed in Sindh – two each from the PPP and MQM – voting was held for the remaining 48 seats with members of the provincial assemblies electing senators on their respective provincial quotas – seven for Sindh, 11 for Punjab, 12 each for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan for different categories of seats. Members of the National Assembly will be voting for two seats for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) while MNAs from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) will elect four senators from the tribal belt.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Election Day
According to the final list of contestants notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), 84 candidates will contest for 33 general seats from the provinces, Fata and the ICT while 22 candidates will contest for eight seats reserved for women in the provinces and ICT. Eighteen candidates will contest for eight seats reserved for technocrats, including Ulema, while eight others will run for two seats – one each from K-P and Balochistan – reserved for minorities.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Election Day, Violation of party discipline
According to the Pakistan Today, in clear violation of the party discipline, members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan assemblies have proposed and seconded independent or other political parties’ nominees for the Senate elections.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Candidates, Punjab
For Punjab, 15 candidates eyed seven general seats, four candidates eyeing two women-reserved seats and two candidates eyeing two technocrat seats.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Candidates, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 candidates ran for seven general seats.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Candidates, Sindh
For Sindh, 18 candidates eyed seven general seats, six candidates eyeing two women seats and four candidates eyeing two technocrat seats


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Candidates, Balochistan
In Balochistan’s Senate elections Niamatullah Zehri of PML-N, Abdul Ghafoor Haidery of JUI-F, Usman Kakar and Sardar Mohammad Azam Khan of Pakhtunkhuwa Milli Awami Party, Hasil Khan Bazenjo of National Party, Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini of BNP (Mengal), and Yousaf Badeni (independent) have been elected.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Candidates, Balochistan
Mir Kabir Ahmed of National Party and Engineer Agha Shahbaz Khan Durrani of PML-N were elected as senator on Technocrats while Kalsoom Perveen of PML-N and Gul Bashra of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party won the elections on women reserved seats.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Candidates, Balochistan
Dr Ashok Kumar of National Party was elected as senator on minority seat.


2015 Pakistani Senate election, Results
According to unofficial results released by Dunya News, Pakistan Muslim League (N) won 16 seats, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) got seven, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won five, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) collected four, the National Party and Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party got three seats each, Balochistan National Party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) got one seat each while an independent candidate also became senator from Balochistan. The PML-N and its allied parties in the province including NP and PkMAP won nine seats.


2015 Palanca Awards
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature winners for 2015.


2015 Palarong Pambansa
The 2015 Palarong Pambansa was the 58th edition of the annual multi-sporting event for Filipino student-athletes. The games were held in Tagum, Davao del Norte from 3 to 9 May 2015. This is the first hosting of the Province of Davao del Norte, 60 years after it hosted the Palarong Pambansa as part of the larger Davao province. Tagum hosts most of the venues and billeting centers while the municipalities of Carmen, Sto. Tomas, New Corella, and Kapalong, and the cities of Panabo and Samal Island provided additional billeting centers and venues for the delegates. The events were mostly held within the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex, including the opening and closing ceremonies.


2015 Palarong Pambansa
A total of 26 sports disciplines were contested during the Palaro, 17 of them as regular games, 5 as demonstration games, and 4 special games for athletes with special needs. For the first time, beach volleyball was played as a demonstration sport.


2015 Palarong Pambansa
The Provincial Government of Davao del Norte spent three years to prepare what they promised to be "the best Palaro ever." This included the construction of a redesigned Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex according to international standards.


2015 Palarong Pambansa
The opening ceremony was on the second day of the games on 4 May while the closing ceremony was held on 9 May.


2015 Palarong Pambansa
The National Capital Regional Athletic Association bagged its 11th straight championship title after seven days of sports competitions.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Bidding
After Luzon and Visayas have hosted the two previous Palarong Pambansa competitions in Laguna and Negros Oriental respectively, the next host province for the 2015 games will now come from the island of Mindanao, according to the Palarong Pambansa Law. At least five bids were made for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa: Koronadal, South Cotabato (which hosted the 1996 and 2007 Palaro), Tagum, Davao del Norte (its first time), Tubod, Lanao del Norte (which hosted the 2003 Palaro) and Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte (which hosted the 1982 Palaro) made their bids for the games.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Bidding
Surigao del Norte and Butuan City also made a joint bid together to host the games; Agusan del Norte was initially part of the joint bid of Surigao del Norte and Butuan. Cagayan de Oro, where the 1988 Palaro was held, also expressed interest to bid for the games but was not included in the final vote for the host.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Bidding
The Department of Education's Management Committee held a vote at the DepEd Central Office in Pasig, Metro Manila on December 15, 2014 to determine the 2015 hosts. Tagum, Davao del Norte won the bid, receiving a majority vote of 16 out of 18. Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario celebrated the result by assuring the organizers that "we will give them the best Palaro and that will be our battlecry: the best Palaro ever."


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Bidding
Winning bid1 – was not included in the final bidding2 – was initially included in the joint bid of Surigao del Norte and Butuan City


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Marketing, Logo and branding
The logo and theme for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa was unanimously approved and unveiled by the Organizing Committee on 27 January 2015. The official logo of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa is inspired from the games' theme "Sports: Breaking Borders, Building Peace."


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Marketing, Logo and branding
The primary element of the logo is a stylized dove which signifies peace, carrying with it an olive branch with 17 leaves representing the 17 regions of the Philippines. Three flaming tails emerge from the dove which stand for the diversity of the tri-peoples (Lumads or indigenous people, Muslims, and Christians) who participate in the Palarong Pambansa. It is emblazoned with an elaborate okir motif (a traditional artistic motif used by the Islamic tribes), a fish (standing for Christianity), and beadworks of the lumads. The dove also has the outline of the letter P, the first letter of the words "Palarong Pambansa," and the colors of the dove are taken from the Philippine flag.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Marketing, Logo and branding
Below the dove is a banana leaf with the words "Davao del Norte," which represents the chief agricultural produce of the province which is the banana; due to this, Davao del Norte is nicknamed as the "Banana Capital of the Philippines." According to Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario, the banana leaf also embodies the resilience of the Dabaonon people, who constantly emerge stronger and better from natural calamities, "just like the ever-enduring banana plant."


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Marketing, Music
The official theme song for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa is entitled Palaro ng Pagkakaisa (The Games of Unity), written and composed by Davao-based songwriter and singer Maan Chua, and arranged by Paolo Sisi. The music video for the song was directed by Willie Apa Jr., and featured the DNSTC and several tourist destinations within Davao del Norte, including Samal Island, Talaingod, Christ the King Cathedral in Tagum (the largest Catholic cathedral in the region and houses the largest wooden rosary in the world), and the New City Hall of Tagum.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Marketing, Music
The music video features the national promoters for the games, namely 15-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in athletics Elma Muros, two-time Olympian in swimming Eric Buhain, and former Azkals player Yannick Tuason, alongside their respective younger counterparts: Mariafe Basong, a runner from the indigenous tribes of Talaingod, Davao del Norte, Roger Porton Jr., a swimmer from Samal Island, and Kier James Macaren, a football player from Davao City.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Marketing, TV and Radio Advertisements
The first TV teaser was shown to the public on 1 March 2015, a one-minute and twenty second TV advertisement with several aerial shots of the DNSTC and archived video footage from previous Palaro games, alongside a forty-second radio advertisement. A month before the games, the official thirty-second TV ad was shown by the media sponsors and through the 2015 Palarong Pambansa website. It features the promoters (Muros, Buhain, and Tuazon) together with their counterparts, similar to that with the music video; this TV advertisement was also directed by Willie Apa Jr.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Participating regions
The 2015 Palarong Pambansa sees all 17 regions of the Philippines participate in the games.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Venues
At least 27 venues were named for the games including venues to be used for demonstration sports and the Special Games. Majority of the venues are within the limits of the city of Tagum and are played within the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex. The gymnastics event was conducted in Panabo City while one of the venues for the demonstration sport of beach volleyball was in Samal Island.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Billeting Centers
Several public elementary and secondary schools within Tagum and surrounding cities and municipalities within Davao del Norte were selected as billeting and housing centers for the delegates, and schools within close proximity with each other housed the same region.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Media and Telecommunications
ABS-CBN, GMA, TV5, CNN Philippines. Rappler, PTV Sports, UNTV, and several other national news organizations covered the games through their regional news bureaus, as well as local and regional news agencies throughout Tagum and the Davao Region such as FM/AM stations and local television channels.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Media and Telecommunications
This is the first Palarong Pambansa to have a daily live video broadcast of all major events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, and sporting competitions; these were shown in the Palarong Pambansa 2015 official website, SkyCable Tagum Channel 12/SkyCable Manila Channel 85 (Digital, also on Destiny Cable) for subscribers in Mega Manila, and Rappler. In addition, the Davao del Norte Provincial Information Office also created several social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram) and the social media hashtags #DavNorPalaro2015 and #SeeYouInDavNor dedicated to promote the 2015 Palarong Pambansa and the host province of Davao del Norte.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Media and Telecommunications
In free TV, the highlights and closing ceremonies was aired on PTV Sports, Sky Cable Channel 85 (Mega Manila; from May 11–17, 2015) and ABS-CBN Sports+Action, where a one-hour TV special hosted by TJ Manotoc and Tina Marasigan will also be shown on May 30.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Media and Telecommunications
To help with the documentation services, the organizers and the Davao del Norte Provincial Information Office sought the services of video production companies within Davao region to help cover the events, notably with the use of aerial drone photography and videography during the opening and closing ceremonies, and the live broadcast of the games. Local photography clubs in the region, such as the Camera Club of Tagum and Tagum Photographers' Society, provided additional photo documentation. A photo contest was also held in order to encourage other photographers to participate in documenting the various sports events.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Media and Telecommunications
All sporting venues and billeting centers are provided with high-speed and free wireless internet connectivity courtesy of Smart Communications, the main telecommunications provider and sponsor. This was ensured so that athletes, coaches, guests, visitors, game officials, media practitioners, and exhibitors are provided with up-to-date news, information, and content about the Palaro through its official website and social media.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Security
Security during the 2015 Palarong Pambansa was handled by the Davao Regional Peace and Order Council (Davao RPOC) and Provincial Government of Davao del Norte through the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police. Almost 2,000 security personnel were deployed in all venues, billeting centers, checkpoints, and public areas throughout the games.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Security
Several roads leading to DNSTC and throughout Tagum were blocked to incoming traffic by the PNP and AFP units. Several Joint AFP-PNP Action Centers (JAPAC) and manned checkpoints were situated in all major thoroughfares the city, including the entry and exit points at the Davao-Butuan-General Santos National Highway (Davao-Agusan Fil-Japan Friendship Highway) leading to Davao City and Compostela Valley, to the municipalities of Asuncion and Kapalong, and to Mati City, Davao Oriental. There was also a significant increase of police and military presence in all venues and billeting centers.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Security
A province-wide suspension of validity of permit to carry firearms outside of residence (gun ban) was also enforced by the Philippine National Police through a Sangguniang Panlalawigan resolution from 30 April 2015 until 15 May 2015 to ensure that no gun-related violence or crime will be committed during the conduct of the games. According to Senior Police Superintendent Samuel Gadingan, the gun ban will boost security during the games.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Security
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte also assured the visiting delegates that they will safe against terrorist attacks, while he called for insurgent groups such as the New People's Army and other armed groups not to create trouble during the games.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Transportation
Five jeepneys and three vans were provided for each region by the provincial government in order to transport their delegates to and from the venues and billeting centers. Delegates can also rent additional vehicles if necessary, for an extra fee. Additional vehicles were also allocated to transport delegates between venues, especially to venues located further than 5 km from DNSTC such as the Energy Park at Apokon, ten minutes away from DNSTC, or the Panabo Multipurpose Cultural, Tourism and Sports Complex which is thirty minutes away at Panabo City.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Transportation
Within the city, commuter tricycles and short-haul jeepneys provide quick and easy transportation between points of destination. Some tricycles even had built-in WiFi routers and wireless internet so that the athletes and coaches who will ride in their tricycles can still connect to the internet, without additional cost to their fare.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Transportation
To maintain easy access to the contest venues, only vehicles with a VIP Vehicular Pass, vehicles owned by the participating regional DepEd offices, and vehicles by the Provincial and City Government, emergency services, police, and military were allowed to drive through the blocked roads and enter the venues. The Capitol Circumferential Road and Capitol Avenue, both passing by the Provincial Government Center and DNSTC, were turned into pedestrian streets and parking spaces for private vehicles without the said vehicular pass.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Sponsorship
Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (TADECO), Damosa Land, Davao Packaging Corporation, Davao International Container Terminal, Inc. and Pearl Farm Beach Resort are among the main sponsors of the games. The City Government of Davao also gave one million pesos as sponsorship, together with it security and medical support to augment what the Provincial Government has already in place. Smart Communications provided the telecommunications infrastructures on sports venues and billeting centers as part of its sponsorship.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Local Economy
The Provincial Government has allocated lots within the DNSTC as "Tiangge" (market) areas where exhibitors and vendors can sell their products, from food and drinks to shirt memorabilia to indigenous products. The Tourism Park within DNSTC also hosts a similar market area which is mostly occupied by food stalls and restaurants; at night this area becomes crowded with people as nightly concerts from local and national artists and celebrities are held here with no entrance fee. A Sponsors' Area is located beside the RDR Gymnasium where the main sponsors for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa can promote their products and services.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Local Economy
Due to the massive influx of delegates and visitors, around 40 dormitories, apartments, guest houses, inns, and even private homes opened their doors. Many of these housing establishments were already fully booked as early as one month before the Palaro games are to be held. Most of their customeres were chaperones, parents and relatives of student-athletes, and guests from other regions who came to Tagum just to witness the Palarong Pambansa.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Local Economy
According to City Tourism Council Chairperson Marlene Alastra, the 2015 Palarong Pambansa may double or triple the expected collected revenue for this year. Shopping centers have also provided discounts to Palaro delegates when they present their IDs. Even tricycle drivers (the main mode of transportation within the city) have lowered their fare rate from PHP9.00 to PHP8.00, but they were able to collect more during the conduct of the games, especially that it was held during summer vacation.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony took place on 4 May, 4:00 PM PST on the second day of the games at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex. It was originally scheduled to take place on the first day of the games but was moved to avoid an "audience clash" with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on May 2 (or May 3, PST).


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
The welcome parade for the delegates started at 3:00 PM PST at the Provincial Government Center, where they marched to DNSTC. By tradition, the delegates came in order of region (I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII, ARMM, CAR, and NCR), with the host region (XI) entering last. The delegates performed their respective saludo or welcome greeting as they marched down the track and arrived in front of the podium.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
Some regions also featured their most popular attractions, icons, personalities, and festivals during the parade; Region IV-B (Mimaropa) had athletes wear masks from the Moriones festival, Region VI (Western Visayas) had delegates wearing costumes from the Dinagyang and Ati-Atihan festivals, the Region VII (Central Visayas) had dancers from the Sinulog festival, and Region XII (Soccsksargen) marched with colorful costumes and flags, a banner that reads "Region XII is K-12 ready" (a tribute to the K-12 Program recently adopted by the country), and another banner with the face of its "finest Soccsksargen warrior" Manny Pacquiao.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
Not to be beaten, the hosts brought a huge replica of the Philippine eagle alongside images depicting the provinces as tribesmen. After the delegates' parade, the technical officials followed. Paratroopers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines performed an aerial paradrop afterwards, carrying with them flags of the Palarong Pambansa and of Davao del Norte.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
Seventeen athletes led by 2014 Palarong Pambansa table tennis champion Kyla Cielo Bernaldez of Panabo City, Davao del Norte lit the cauldron with a three-piece torch that was inspired from the tri-peoples of Davao del Norte: a top piece inspired by the tambara, an altar where the traditional aboriginal tribes (lumad) offer to their spirits, a middle piece featuring authentic Islamic beadwork and sequins, and a bottom piece which looks like a chalice, symbolizing the Christian faith. The torch was designed by Banjo Sappore Jr. from the Ford Academy of the Arts.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
Just after the speech of Davao del Norte governor Rodolfo del Rosario at around 4:30 PM PST, the hot and sunny afternoon turned into a rainy one, prompting both DILG and DepEd secretaries, Mar Roxas and Bro. Armin Luistro to call for the rushing of the opening ceremonies. Roxas expressed concern that the rain may affect the health of the Palaro athletes, and then led the crowd to chants. Luistro informally opened the games by hollering the already-soaked but visibly enjoying students (who endured marching under a hot summer afternoon) with the words "Class dismissed!"


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
Many parts of the opening program were omitted or shortened because of force majeure. Despite the heavy downpour of rain, almost 1,000 students and teachers from across all cities and municipalities of Davao del Norte performed a thirty-minute field demonstration, much to the delight and amazement of the crowd. The opening ceremony ended with a ten-minute pyromusical show and a lights-and-sounds show at the Provincial Capitol Building and Capitol Park at 7:00 PM PST.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Opening Ceremony
Paratroopers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines performing an aerial paradrop.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Sports, Regular and Demonstration Games
17 sports plus five demonstration sports will be contested at the 2015 Palarong Pambansa. Beach volleyball was included for the first time in the Palaro as a demonstration event.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Sports, Special Games
About 850 athletes with special needs (orthopedically-challenged, intellectually-challenged, and visually-impaired) participated at the Special Games in the disciplines of athletics, aquatics, goal ball and bocce. The athletics event featured the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4 × 100 m, shot put, running and standing long jump categories, while the aquatics event featured the 50m backstroke, breast stroke, and freestyle categories.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa was again held at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex on 9 May, 3:00 PM PST. Fears of weather or black bug attacks were set aside as the organizers promoted it as the "Biggest, Grandest, and Wildest Closing Ceremony Ever." Many of the highlights during the opening ceremony were done once more as requested by Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario, who shared the general sentiment of the athletes and public that "bad weather and rice black bugs took away the glory during the opening program." As a way to entice delegates to stay until the closing ceremony, the province gave PHP50,000 to the delegation with the most number of participants during the closing ceremony; ARMMAA won this award with 388 delegates present during the Unity March.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony started with a Unity Parade around the track oval, as delegates paraded down the track oval with words of thanksgiving and appreciation. They were then grouped not according to their region but to their sport. The Armed Forces of the Philippines paratroopers did another exhibition paradrop during the ceremony, carrying banners that read "DavNor Best Palaro Ever," "Till We Meet Again," and "Maraming salamat po!"


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
Messages of commitment and thanksgiving were rendered by Department of Education Assistant Undersecretary Tonisito Umali, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Ricardo Garcia (represented by Commissioner Jose Luis "Jolly" Gomez), and representative Anthony del Rosario of the First District of Davao del Norte (who also spoke in behalf of Representative Anton Lagdameo, Jr. of the Second District of Davao del Norte). All speakers shared the same sentiment: the Province of Davao del Norte has indeed hosted the "best Palaro ever."


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
Rep. del Rosario added that the House Bill No. 2393, an act for the establishment of the Davao Sports Academy, has reached the Senate Committee on Sports and will be deliberated shortly, adding that DNSTC "will become the most active sports complex in the country," even after it successfully hosted many of the Palarong Pambansa events. Commissioner Gomez even declared that Davao del Norte and DNSTC is capable of hosting the Southeast Asian Games already, and Undersecretary Umali quoted that the province also hosted the "best Palaro closing ceremony ever" in his speech.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
An audio-visual presentation featuring Palarong Pambansa athletes and coaches was presented; in it they gave their reviews, remarks, and utmost appreciation about Davao del Norte's hosting, confirming that the province indeed hosted "the best Palaro ever" throughout all the years that they competed in the games. One of the interviewees, a volleyball coach from ARMMAA, emphasized that this was the first Palaro games where coaches and transportation managers did not fight over the use of the jeepneys and other vehicles over their transportation needs.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony culminated with the extinguishing of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa ceremonial flame by the Bureau of Fire Protection Unified Fire Marshals, a message of thanksgiving from the Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario, and the repeat performance of the mass field demonstration by selected students and teachers of Davao del Norte, which was immediately followed by a pyromusical show and rave party at DNSTC Football Pitch A featuring guest DJs from Davao City, as the Unified Fire Marshals provided two fire engines to soak the athletes wet as they partied.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, The Palaro, Closing Ceremony
The overall champion region for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa remains to be the National Capital Region Athletic Association, now on its 11th year. Southern Tagalog - Calabarzon Athletic Association came second and the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association finished in third place. The Davao Regional Athletic Association, hosts of this years' Palarong Pambansa, finished in ninth place.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Medals
All 17 regions have won at least one gold medal during the 2015 Palarong Pambansa, including regions who  have not won any gold medal in the 2014 Palarong Pambansa such as Zamboanga Peninsula, Mimaropa, Ilocos, and Caraga. This makes it one of the most-awarded Palaro games in history.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Medals
Driven by the support of the massive home crowd, DavRAA aimed to finish in fifth place, three places from last year's eight, but it has only bagged 13 gold medals, 23 silver medals, and 30 bronze medals in all regular games, ranking ninth for this year; DavRAA did finish with a medal tally of 4G-4S-9B for Demonstration Games (Fourth Place), and 11G-6S-6B for Special Games (Third Place). On the other hand, NCRAA dominated the medal tally in regular games with 98 gold medals, 67 silver medals, and 71 bronze medals, followed by archrivals STCAA (51G-41S-49B) and WVRAA (42G-48S-41B).


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Medals
WVRAA, CARAA, and RIAA had the most medals in the Demonstration Games, while WVRAA, STCAA, and DavRAA led the Special Games medal tally.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Medals, Regular Games
Final and official result as of May 9, 2015, 13:30 PST (UTC+8)


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Medals, Demonstration Sports
Final and official result as of May 9, 2015, 12:00 PST (UTC+8)


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Medals, Special Games
Final and official result as of May 9, 2015 12:00 PST (UTC+8)


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Special awards
Special awards were given by the Department of Education and the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte. Cash prizes amounting from PHP10,000 to PHP30,000 for the Most Disciplined Region, Most Organized Region, Best Billeting Center, and Cleanest and Greenest Billeting Center awards were awarded by DepEd, and the cash prizes (from PHP10,000 to PHP50,000) for the Biggest Delegation award was provided by the Provincial Government.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Records broken
The 2015 Palarong Pambansa saw a number of records (17) broken in the fields of athletics (2) and swimming (15), making it also one of the games with the most number of previous records broken and established. Some athletes broke their own previous records, while some broke the existing record twice (in preliminary and final rounds).


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns
Despite the massive preparation done by the Provincial Government to the lead-up of the Palarong Pambansa hosting, problems arose during the conduct of the games.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Weather
As this year's Palarong Pambansa is being held in the middle of the summer season, intense heat and humidity pose a major challenge for the athletes and visitors. Aware of the potential effects of the hot weather on the athletes, the Department of Education has continued to ban some outdoor sports from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM  so the athletes would not suffer from heat stroke under the scorching summer sun.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Weather
According to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Agapito Hornido, head of the Palaro Medical Team, said the young players are at risk in high temperatures, as they push themselves harder to increase their chances of clinching a medal. The Palaro Medical Team assured the participants and the public that they are geared up to respond to weather-related health concerns such as heat exhaustion and stroke. Hornido said they have already attended to dozens of athletes, with most of them showing signs of heat exhaustion. Some even fainted during intense training.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Weather
He revealed the medical team is bolstered up by the 21-bed Palaro Medical Operations Center (MOC), which offers free consultation, medicines, minor treatment, ECG, physio-therapy, dental and other services. In addition, the Diocese of Tagum through the Caritas Manila Foundation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, City Government of Davao Emergency Medical Services, and several municipal emergency services provide first aid and medical support services for the athletes and public, and have dedicated mobile emergency stations, triage centers, and ambulances within the venues and billeting centers.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Weather
Ambulent vendors registered as exhibitors and stalls were well-prepared and kept more stock of bottled mineral water, energy drinks, soft drinks, and other beverages in supply. Many also sold sun visors, caps, sunglasses, and fans.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Weather
On the other hand, a sudden downpour of heavy rain affected the conduct of the opening ceremonies on 4 May, thus prompting some parts of the program to be omitted or shortened.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Rice black bug attack
At least thousands of rice black bugs (Scotinophara coarctata) swarmed the DNSTC on the first day of competitions, 3 May. It was first observed during the late finish of the athletics competition, when the floodlight towers were turned on for the night events, as thousands of black bugs came swarming to the lights.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Rice black bug attack
At the same time, the Provincial Government was holding a welcome dinner for delegation officials (Governor's Night) at the RDR Gymnasium and Aquatic Center of the DNSTC when the black bugs swarmed the floodlights and landed on the swimming pool and food intended for the guests; the event was cut short as a result. According to witness accounts, the black bugs also landed on the pavement in and around the main grandstand, thus making it slippery.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Rice black bug attack
The black bugs, known as piyangaw in the Cebuano language, emit a sharply foul odor that affects breathing, causes excessive tearing in the eyes, and may also cause stomachache when accidentally swallowed. Their invasion was attributed to the bright lights of DNSTC and its location adjacent to rice fields and to a mini-forest, and because of their abundance during the full moon.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Rice black bug attack
In response to this, Davao del Norte' assistant provincial administrator Sofonias P. Gabonda Jr. said they immediately had a meeting on that same night to address the issue and insisted that the bugs are harmless and do not pose a significant health threat to the athletes or to the public. He also said that they will just adjust the intensity and duration of turning on the floodlights during sporting events to avoid a similar incident.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Rice black bug attack
Most importantly, the lights at the Aquatic Center will be turned off during the night, as swimmers might accidentally ingest the black bugs during their swim. DepEd Assistant Secretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Tonisito Umali said that they have already installed insect-repelling screens in all billeting venues so as to prevent the bugs from pestering the athletes and coaches.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Rice black bug attack
On 4 May, a massive clean-up was done by maintenance crews, and it was only then that the scale of the invasion was realized: at least two dump trucks were needed just to deliver the collected bodies of dead black bugs away from DNSTC. Still, the black bug invasion of DNSTC continued throughout the duration of the Palaro, but their numbers have significantly decreased. No health-related cases were reported and no schedule games were postponed due to the black bug invasion. During the closing ceremony, no more rice black bugs were seen around DNSTC or in the billeting centers.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Bullying of athletes
Several cases of verbal bullying were reported by several athletes and coaches to the Department of Education, and reports showed that parents of some athletes had been observed to have bullied some athletes especially those who were competing against their children. Though Umali said that these incidents could have been the result of parents overreacting to the situation, he readily declared that physical and verbal abuses are banned in the Palaro, adding that DepEd could discipline the athlete and its staff, including those under private schools.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Other incidents
On 17 April, a few weeks before the start of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa, three gymnasts from the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DavRAA), namely Brian Albert Buhian, Janliver Estabaya (both from Sinawilan National High School, Davao del Sur), and Louie Villacorte, Jr. (of Sta. Ana National High School, Davao City), returned to the Department of Education Division Office of Davao del Norte a bundle of cash that they found under the bench of a kiosk at Tagum City National Comprehensive High School (the billeting center for DavRAA delegates) after buying personal necessities outside TCNCHS.


2015 Palarong Pambansa, Concerns, Other incidents
The cash, which amount to P50,000, was earmarked as allowance for their fellow DavRAA athletes from Panabo City and Davao del Norte. According to Buhian, he was perturbed and felt the urge to return the large amount of money to its rightful owner, even though no one was around at that time. The group was later awarded with a resolution in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) of Davao del Norte filed by Board Member Atty. Raymond Joey Millan commending them for their integrity; monetary incentive was also given to the three athletes through donations given by the board members. They were also given one by one a tablet PC and framed copies of the said resolution during the closing ceremony of the Palaro.


2015 Palmer Cup
The 2015 Palmer Cup was held on June 12–14, 2015 at Rich Harvest Farms in Big Rock Township, Illinois. The United States won 18 to 12.


2015 Palmer Cup, Format
On Friday, there were five matches of foursomes in the morning, followed by five four-ball matches in the afternoon. Ten singles matches were played on Saturday, and ten more on Sunday. In all, 30 matches were played.


2015 Palmer Cup, Format
Each of the 30 matches was worth one point in the larger team competition. If a match was all square after the 18th hole, each side earned half a point toward their team total. The team that accumulated at least 15½ points won the competition.


2015 Palmer Cup, Teams
Ten college golfers from the United States and Europe participated in the event plus a non-playing head coach and assistant coach for each team.


2015 Palmer Cup, Michael Carter award
The Michael Carter Award winners were Hunter Stewart and Matthias Schwab.


2015 Pan American Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships
The 1st Pan American Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships were held in Caguas, Puerto Rico from October 6 to 12, 2015. The competition was organized by the Puerto Rican Gymnastics Federation and approved by the International Gymnastics Federation.


2015 Pan American Aerobic Gymnastics Championships
The 2015 Pan American Aerobic Gymnastics Championships were held in Oaxtepec, Mexico, December 13–19, 2015. The competition was organized by the Mexican Gymnastics Federation, and approved by the International Gymnastics Federation.


2015 Pan American Combined Events Cup
The 2015 Pan American Combined Events Cup was held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Terry Fox Stadium between June 19–20, 2015. The event also served as IAAF Capital Cup as part of the 2015 IAAF Combined Events Challenge, as NACAC Combined Events Invitational, and as Canadian Combined Events Championships. Detailed reports and an appraisal of the results were given.


2015 Pan American Combined Events Cup, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 44 (+ 1 guest) athletes from 9 (+ 1 guest) countries participated in the event.


2015 Pan American Cross Country Cup
The 2015 Pan American Cross Country Cup took place on February 22, 2015. The races were held at Avenida al Río in Barranquilla, Colombia.


2015 Pan American Cross Country Cup, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 183 athletes from 21 countries participated.


2015 Pan American Fencing Championships
The 2015 Pan American Fencing Championships were held at the National Sports Stadium, in Santiago de Chile, from 17 to 26 April 2015. The event was organized by the Pan American Fencing Confederation and the Chilean Fencing Federation, with the support of the International Fencing Federation and with the sponsorship of the Chilean Ministry of Sport and the Chilean Olympic Committee. It gathered more than 220 fencers from 24 countries. It is a qualifying tournament for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. It also belongs to the qualification road to the 2016 Summer Olympics.


2015 Pan American Games
The 2015 Pan American Games (French: Jeux Panaméricains de 2015), officially the XVII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (French: Jeux panaméricains de 2015 à Toronto), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, as governed by Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). The games were held from July 10 to 26, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; preliminary rounds in certain events began on July 7, 2015. These were the third Pan American games hosted by Canada, and the first in the province of Ontario. The Games were held at venues in Toronto and seventeen other Golden Horseshoe communities. The Pan American Games and 2015 Parapan American Games were organized by the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games (TO2015).


2015 Pan American Games
The Games hosted 6,132 athletes representing 41 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in the Americas, marking the largest multi-sport event hosted in Canada, in terms of athletes competing. A record of 45 percent of competitors were women, the most ever for any multi-sport event. 364 events were contested in 36 sports, which included the 28 sports contested at the 2016 Summer Olympics; certain sports also served as qualification paths for these Olympics. Canoe slalom and golf made their Pan American Games debut, as well as women's competitions in baseball, C-1 canoe and rugby sevens.


2015 Pan American Games
In 2019, the organizing committee reported that the games came in under budget by $38 million and left a strong legacy for the region with a legacy fund of over $60 million to maintain these structures for a twenty-year period after the Games were held (i.e., until 2035).


2015 Pan American Games, Bidding process
The Canadian Olympic Committee chose Toronto and the surrounding region as the Canadian candidate. No other Canadian city was given a chance to bid in a domestic race, and thus Toronto was selected without a vote. Toronto's interest in bidding came after failing to land the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics, which were held in Atlanta and Beijing, respectively.


2015 Pan American Games, Bidding process
On February 23, 2009, Toronto City Council and Hamilton City Council approved the bid and confirmed their intentions to support the successful hosting of the event. The official bid book document was submitted to the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) on May 27, 2009.


2015 Pan American Games, Bidding process
PASO made an evaluation visit to Toronto between August 30 and 31, 2009. The team analysed the candidate city features and provided its feedback back to voting members of PASO. The evaluation committee was headed by Julio Maglione, a member of the IOC representing Uruguay and the head of Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the international swimming federation. After the visit Maglione said, "Toronto has all the conditions to play host to the Pan American Games."


2015 Pan American Games, Bidding process
Toronto won the bidding process to host the Pan and Parapan American Games by a vote of the Pan American Sports Organization on November 6, 2009, at the PASO Session held in Guadalajara, Mexico. The result was announced by PASO President Mario Vázquez Raña. Toronto faced two other finalists shortlisted Lima, Peru (which later won the rights to host the 2019 Pan American Games), and Bogotá, Colombia. Toronto earned 33 votes, while contesting candidate cities Lima and Bogotá received 11 and 7 votes, respectively. Then-Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford and Canadian Minister for Sport Bal Gosal received the Pan American Sports Organization flag during the closing ceremony of the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Venues
The 2015 Pan American Games used a mixture of new venues, existing and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Exhibition Place. After the Games, some of the new facilities will be reused in their games time form, while others will be resized. A total of 30 competition venues across 14 municipalities were used for competition. Ten of these venues were newly built, while fifteen were renovated to stage the games.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Venues
Toronto was one of the most populous cities in history to hold the Pan American Games. In July, Toronto has an average mean temperature of 22.3 °C (72.1 °F) and afternoon maximum average of 26.6 °C (79.9 °F) The average humidity is 74 percent, and the city (downtown area) averages five days with the temperature exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) and about 65 millimetres (2.6 in) of precipitation, mostly brief periods of showers and sometimes thunderstorms. Toronto's elevation is 112 m (367 ft 5+1⁄2 in) above sea level on average, though the city has many steep hills and deep ravines, the largest ravine system of any city in the world.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Venues
In January 2012, the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games (TO2015) announced that sixty percent of the venues that had been proposed would be dropped in favour of a clustering system seen at other multi-sport events such as the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Venues
The opening and closing ceremonies were held at Rogers Centre (renamed "Pan Am Dome" due to sponsorship rules). Some of the competition venues in the Toronto area included BMO Field (renamed "Exhibition Stadium" due to sponsorship rules), the Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields, the Enercare Centre and the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Competition venues outside the city of Toronto included Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Hershey Centre, Markham Pan Am Centre in Markham, the GM Centre in Oshawa, and the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Financing
The Toronto 2015 Organizing Committee and three jurisdictions of government were to spend about CA$672 million in upgrading and building new venues in the region. An additional CA$760 million was to be spent in operating expenses such as venue management and marketing. The Canadian federal government was expected to provide CA$500 million in funding for the games, while the City of Toronto's contribution was to be CA$86 million. Other municipalities which are hosting sporting events were to cover CA$205 million of the costs. All remaining costs were covered by the Government of Ontario.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Financing
Revenue from the games were expected to cover ten percent of the cost to stage the games. The organizing committee expected to generate CA$172 million in revenue. In addition, CA$709 million was to be spent on building an athletes' village in the West Don Lands area of Toronto. A further CA$239 million was budgeted on security, while transportation costs were around CA$90 million. In 2014, the Ontario government provided an additional CA$74 million to expand the torch relay, provide additional live broadcasting of events and other features. Therefore, the total spent was expected to be CA$2.57 billion, the highest-ever cost of a single Pan-Am Games.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Financing
In 2016, Ontario auditor-general Bonnie Lysyk issued a report suggesting that the games were over-budget by CA$342 million. However, in 2019, the organizing committee found that the games were actually $38 million under budget, and left a legacy of $60 million to continue to maintain the buildings and facilities built for the games.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Infrastructure
The Union Pearson Express, an airport rail link from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Union Station, started full-time service on June 6, 2015. The games created a deadline for a project that had been stalled for years. In addition, a new GO Transit train station in Hamilton at James Street North opened in time for the games.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Infrastructure
In October 2013, an expansion of the Pan Am site was announced to help complete 250 kilometres (160 mi) in gaps in Ontario's Trans Canada Trail and connect communities from Ottawa to Windsor and Fort Erie to Huntsville in time for the games. Connections to the Waterfront Trail were expected to be expanded and complete gaps in the trail. Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne announced "The province is investing more than CA$3.5 million in Pan Am/Parapan Am Trails to help create a continuous trail of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi)."


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Athletes' Village
The Athlete's Village was located in the West Don Lands along Front Street between Bayview Avenue and Cherry Street. It had the capacity to hold 10,000 athletes and officials during the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and after the games will be converted into housing. The development was to be certified LEED Gold.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Athletes' Village
In conjunction with The 519 organization and the Church and Wellesley LGBT neighbourhood, the event also hosted the first Pride House for LGBT athletes and tourists staged at a Pan American Games.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Volunteers
The organization committee expected 23,000 volunteers to be required for Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. Over 63,000 applicants applied to become a volunteer.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Ticketing
Ticket sales began on September 15, 2014 for high demand events such as the ceremonies, via a lottery. Purchasers would find out if they received tickets in November 2014. General sales of tickets began on December 8, 2014. The Games had 1.2 million tickets for sale, with over 75 percent of them priced under CA$45. At the conclusion of the games, 1.05 million tickets were purchased, meaning 87.5% of tickets were sold.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Countdown
The one-year countdown took place in Nathan Phillips Square in Downtown Toronto on July 10, 2014, in which a countdown clock was unveiled. A Cirque du Soleil performance was also held there.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Medals
In October 2013, it was announced that the medals for the games would be produced and designed by the Royal Canadian Mint. In September 2014, it was announced that the supplier of the raw minerals used in the medals (over 4,000 in total) would be Toronto-based Barrick Gold. All the materials used in the medals will come from the company's operations in the Pan American region. The copper was mined at the company's Zaldivar mine in Chile, the silver at the Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic and the gold was mined at the Hemlo mine in northwestern Ontario in the Unorganized Thunder Bay District near Thunder Bay.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Medals
The designs of the medals were revealed on March 3, 2015 at a ceremony at the Royal Ontario Museum. The design of the medals for the first time in an international able-bodied multi-sport event included braille. The medals are roughly 86.7 millimetres (3.41 in) in diameter and weigh about 350 grams (12 oz). The artist of the medals is Christi Belcourt.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Medals
There are three shapes on the front of the medal representing North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America, the three regions that competed at the games, while also giving a feel and texture of the medal podium. The back of the medal represents the logo and motto of the games and the design also includes elements and techniques of mokume-gane.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Torch relay
An application period for Canadians to carry the torch opened in October 2014 and continued until December. Anyone aged 13 years or older as of May 30, 2015 was eligible to become a torchbearer. Most of the torchbearers were selected by a random selection, while the others were selected by torch relay communities and games partners.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Torch relay
The torch took a 41-day journey after being lit in May 2015 at the pyramids of Teotihuacan, Mexico north of Mexico City. The torch was brought through a total of 130 communities, mostly in Ontario (with five outside the province: Richmond, Winnipeg, Calgary, Halifax and Montreal). The torch was carried by about 3,000 torchbearers and travel approximately 20,000 kilometres (12,000 mi). The relay began on May 30, 2015 in Toronto and finished on July 10, the date of the opening ceremony.


2015 Pan American Games, Development and preparation, Torch relay
The detailed torch relay route and celebration sites were announced on February 24, 2015. The torch arrived in Toronto and then headed to Thunder Bay before visiting all other communities on the route. The relay also visited five National Historic Sites of Canada, six Canadian Forces bases and one provincial park. There were 180 celebrations across the torch relay route.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games took place on Friday July 10, 2015, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EDT at the Pan Am Dome. The opening ceremony was produced and directed by Cirque du Soleil. The production became the largest event produced by the company.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony took place on Sunday July 26, 2015, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EDT at the Pan Am Dome in Toronto. The closing ceremony was produced and directed jointly by B5C Productions, BaAM Productions and FiveCurrents, in association with Live Nation. American rapper and music producer Kanye West was chosen as the headliner for the closing ceremony, although the decision was met with public backlash and spurred the formation of an online petition calling for West's removal from the ceremony to be replaced with a Canadian musician to headline the ceremony. Other performers included Pitbull and Serena Ryder, the former of whom is also American, though the latter is Canadian.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Participating nations
All 41 nations of PASO competed, one fewer than in the 2011 Pan American Games, as the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee was dissolved in 2011.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Sports
A total of 36 sports, 51 disciplines and 364 medal events were contested in these Games. Basque pelota was the only sport dropped from the last games. Golf (after being added to the Olympic program for 2016) also made its Pan American Games debut. Canoe slalom, the only Olympic discipline never to have been held at the Games, also made its debut, meaning for the first time the entire Olympic sports program was contested. Furthermore, both canoe disciplines had C-1 events for women for the first time.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Sports
Women's baseball and women's rugby sevens also made their debuts, with men's softball returning to the program, after last being contested in 2003. A total of 19 sports (the most ever) were direct or indirect (such as opportunities to gain qualification times) qualifiers for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Sports
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events to be contested in each sport/discipline.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Calendar
In the following calendar of events, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport were held. The number in each box represents the number of finals that were contested on that day. Events began three days before the opening ceremony on July 7 and ended with the closing ceremony on July 26.


2015 Pan American Games, The Games, Medal table
The United States won the most medals with a total of 265. Canada, the host country, won 219 medals. Other notable mentions include Saint Lucia winning its first Pan American gold medal.


2015 Pan American Games, Media, Broadcasting
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) served as the host and domestic broadcaster of the 2015 Pan American Games; locally, coverage was broadcast in the English and French languages by CBC Television and Ici Radio-Canada Télé, and CBC's website carried 650 hours of online coverage. Pay television rights were sub-licensed to Sportsnet, which aired the football (soccer) tournaments, and a semi-final of the Men's basketball tournament that involved Canada. Spanish language rights were sub-licensed to Telelatino and Univision Canada; the broadcaster collaborated with US Spanish-language rights-holder ESPN Deportes on its own coverage. CBC stated that it was "very happy" with the ratings performance of the Games; primetime coverage averaged around 900,000 to 1 million viewers per-night, and the opening ceremonies were seen by 1.93 million viewers across CBC and CBC News Network, with the largest audience being in the Toronto region.


2015 Pan American Games, Media, Broadcasting
In the United States, ESPN held broadcast rights, with 66 hours of English-language coverage across ESPN and ESPN2, 44 hours on Longhorn Network, 200 hours of Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Deportes, and streaming on WatchESPN. ESPN broadcast from studios at Corus Quay, which was linked to the IBC (and in turn, ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut). ESPN and ESPN Deportes used their own hosts, as well of those of CBC, as part of its multi-platform coverage.


2015 Pan American Games, Media, Broadcasting
Rede Record acquired rights in Brazil, paying a record US$30 million. Other broadcasting deals include Torneos y Competencias sports in Argentina, Claro Sports in Mexico and Latina Televisión in Peru.


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Logo
Toronto's bid logo was launched on October 2, 2008, with the then-Toronto mayor David Miller and then-head of the organizing committee David Peterson unveiling the logo to the public. The bid logo looks like an abstract maple leaf with three sections, each section made up of two strokes in the shape of a "v" with a spot in the centre. The colours are green, red and blue. This was the official logo of the games until 2010, when the new logo was launched.


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Logo
On September 29, 2010, the official logo of the games was unveiled at a street party at Maple Leaf Square. According to Ian Troop, the former chief executive officer of Toronto 2015 organizing committee, the logo is designed on the basis of the different art styles seen throughout the 41 countries that compete at the games.


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Mascot
In January 2013, it was announced that a contest would determine the mascot of the games. Children under the age of 16 had until March 8, 2013 to submit their ideas. 4,000 ideas and drawings were submitted to the organizing committee during this time frame. In April 2013, a shortlist of six mascot designs (which were produced by professional graphic designers with the sketches by the children as models) were released, including a raccoon, beaver, moose, two pixie creature twins, porcupine and an owl.


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Mascot
The final six were selected based on originality, how well they represent Canadian culture and the branding of the Games, and the appeal they had amongst adults and children. On April 22, 2013, the general public was allowed to vote for the mascot they felt was the best. Voting was open until May 5, 2013.


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Mascot
On July 17, 2013, Pachi the Porcupine was revealed as the official mascot of the games at an unveiling at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre. The mascot received over 33,000 votes from the nationwide vote. The winning design was submitted by four Grade-Eight students at a school in Markham. The name Pachi means "clapping with joy" in Japanese, while the 41 quills the porcupine has represent the 41 participating countries at the games. The New York Times described the mascot as "a departure from the usual cute and cuddly" and "a marketing challenge".


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Music
The event's official theme song was released in three versions: the English-language "Together We Are One", performed by Serena Ryder; the French "Ensemble on est immense", performed by Jasmine Denham; and the Spanish "Unidos Somos Más", performed by Eva Avila.


2015 Pan American Games, Marketing, Sponsorship
Private sponsors included Chevrolet Canada. Another sponsorship deal with CAA South Central Ontario announced in January 2014 was terminated in May 2014.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Scheduling
The aquatics events at the 2015 Pan American Games were scheduled to be held roughly around the same time as the 2015 World Aquatics Championships scheduled in Kazan, Russia. In order to maintain the quality of its fields, the schedule of the five aquatics disciplines had to be changed to accommodate athletes.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Scheduling
The synchronized swimming competition was moved to the day before the opening ceremony, diving events began on the day of the opening ceremony (when events are traditionally not held on the day of the ceremony), open water swimming was moved to the first weekend of the games, swimming was reduced to a five-day schedule (down from seven in 2011), and water polo competitions began three days before the opening ceremony. All events were scheduled to be completed by July 24, six days before the opening ceremonies of the World Championships, which in itself was moved back a week to accommodate the games. The change in schedule meant that for the first time, events were held before the opening ceremony.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Scheduling
The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, which was held in various Canadian cities, concluded on the Sunday prior to the opening ceremony; due to the proximity of the events, teams who competed in both the Women's World Cup and the Pan Am women's football tournament were not expected to field their best players due to availability. Toronto and Hamilton had decided not to bid to host matches during the Women's World Cup due to a potential conflict with the Games.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Scheduling
The 2015 World Archery Championships were scheduled later in July, to avoid conflict with the games, while the 2015 World Fencing Championships (which finished one day prior to the start of fencing competitions at the Pan-Am Games) were coordinated to allow athletes to compete at both events. Finally, the second round of the 2015 Davis Cup was moved ahead one week to avoid conflict with the tennis competitions. Tennis competitions were held before the opening ceremony, to allow athletes to compete in both events.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Scheduling
The volleyball tournaments and the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix and the FIVB Volleyball World League were played at roughly the same time, leading to scheduling conflicts for teams playing both events.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Scheduling
The IndyCar Series' Honda Indy Toronto race (later renamed Grand Prix of Toronto), which is held on a street circuit at Exhibition Place, was moved to June from July to avoid conflicting with the Games.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Expenses claims
In September 2013, it was reported that many senior members of the organizing committee, including then-CEO Ian Troop, expensed Ontario taxpayers for things such as a cup of tea. This led to outrage among provincial politicians including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, "I'm just going to say it's ridiculous. It is the kind of entitlement that is unacceptable". In response to the backlash the organization released an updated expenses and travel policy in November 2013. In December 2013, Troop was ousted by the organization's board of directors, just three months after the expense scandal came into light. He was replaced by Saad Rafi. In 2014, more expenses by the organization came under scrutiny including boxes of South American wine.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Expenses claims
In 2015, Ian Troop, the former CEO, gave an interview in which he stated that organizers cleared him from any wrongdoing, and that all expenses fell under the organization's policy. Troop also mentioned under his leadership the organization saved CA$50 million from the capital infrastructure budget. Troop's firing had nothing to do with the expenses scandal that arose in 2013.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Executive compensation and bonuses
The games' organizing committee came under scrutiny for the high compensation and bonus packages its executive team has been awarded. Under Ontario's Salary Disclosure rules, any provincial employee receiving over CA$100,000 in compensation will have their salary publicly disclosed. In 2012, it was revealed that former CEO Ian Troop made CA$552,065, with several other senior staff making between CA$100,000 and CA$400,000. Additionally, in 2013 it was revealed that as part of his compensation package, Troop would be eligible for a CA$780,000 bonus at the end of his contract, if the games had finished successfully.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Executive compensation and bonuses
Other executives are eligible for bonuses of up to 100 percent of their salaries upon completion of their contract. In 2015, it was revealed that Troop's replacement, Saad Rafi, would receive a bonus of 100 percent of his CA$428,794 salary upon completion of his contract. Rafi did not collect his bonus at the conclusion of the games.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Reception of the Games in Toronto
Toronto's Globe and Mail described a lack of excitement for the games by Toronto residents and "lacklustre" ticket sales, while The New York Times described Toronto residents as "indifferent" and "apathetic" to the games due to excessive costs and "apocalyptic news coverage" of traffic disruptions, adding "Canada is a country where winter sports predominate, and the Pan Am Games have never been of immense interest". One Toronto journalist wrote "in Toronto's fierce desire to be a world class city, the Pan Am Games are viewed as a consolation prize to previous unsuccessful Olympic bids".


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Reception of the Games in Toronto
Signs of a more positive reception to the Games began to emerge following its opening; on the first official day of competition, 20,000 tickets were sold (in comparison to a single-day projection of eight to nine thousand), and by the next day, at least 850,000 of the 1.2 million total tickets had been sold. By the end of the games, approximately 1.05 million out of 1.2 million available tickets were sold, marking the largest total sold for a single edition of the games.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Reception of the Games in Toronto
A large, illuminated "Toronto" sculpture sign installed in Nathan Phillips Square for the Games proved to be popular with locals and tourists as a spot for photos, and came to become a symbol of the renewed enthusiasm surrounding the Pan Am Games. Considering it a symbol of their legacy, Mayor of Toronto John Tory solicited suggestions for a permanent location for the sign following the Games.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Reception of the Games in Toronto
It was later announced that the sign would remain in the Square in its current form through at least the end of 2016 and later extended to the end of 2017 with the temporary addition of a maple leaf for the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation and 2018 with a medicine wheel. The sign was later made permanent in 2020.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Canadian television coverage
Although still billed as having been the most extensive television coverage of the Pan American Games ever broadcast in the country, the CBC faced criticism for the amount of coverage it produced and broadcast from the 2015 Pan American Games. Only condensed, tape-delayed highlights of events aired on CBC Television, drawing comparisons to the similar practices imposed by NBC's coverage of the Olympics. Most events were streamed online, and pay television channel Sportsnet aired the soccer tournaments on television, but events in some sports received only limited online coverage or were not broadcast at all.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Canadian television coverage
Partway through the Games, the CBC expanded its primetime coverage block, while broadcasts of a semi-final game in men's basketball on Sportsnet and the baseball finals online were added at the last minute. Critics perceived these last-minute changes as signs that the CBC had underestimated viewer interest in the Pan Am Games.


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Canadian television coverage
CBC Sports head of programming Trevor Pilling explained that the large number of events being held, along with the stature of the Pan American Games in comparison to the Olympics, were a factor in the structure of CBC's coverage, stating that "I do think we are the victim of our own success in that having Olympic coverage that is around the clock, but the Olympics are a different event than these Pan Am Games. But I feel like we've done the athletes justice by telling those stories or through live coverage, or with reporters on site. We've tried to make sure we're at all the significant events, and with Canada winning over 180 medals, that's a tall task."


2015 Pan American Games, Concerns and controversies, Canadian television coverage
While the National Post also felt that budget cuts faced by the CBC in recent years, including those imposed following the loss of its national broadcast rights to the National Hockey League to Rogers Media, may have also had an impact—with a CBC spokesperson arguing that "resources" were a factor, Pilling denied that this was the case, arguing that it was "about the planning, It is about making good, sound business decisions", and promised that there would be extensive coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics.


2015 Pan American Games Athletes' Village
The 2015 Pan American Games Athletes' Village is a complex of six buildings in Toronto, Ontario, Canada built to accommodate on the order of 10,000 athletes and team officials in 1,300 units. The Village was built east of the intersection of Cherry and Front streets, in Toronto's West Don Lands. The same village was also used to house athletes for the 2015 Parapan American Games.


2015 Pan American Games Athletes' Village
Six buildings compose the Athletes Village, five are residential mid-rise buildings and the sixth is a training facility. After the Pan Am/Para Pan Am Games, four residential towers became a Canary District housing development. The fifth became a dormitory for students of nearby George Brown College, and training facility became a YMCA, and serve as a men's hostel. The village was completed in February 2015, and cost $709 million CAD. As well, the village includes the Corktown Common park which was built a year before.


2015 Pan American Games Athletes' Village
Like the Olympic Villages provided for other games, the Athletes' Village provided in Toronto for the 2015 Pan American Games was a new construction. However, learning a lesson from the Athletes' Village provided for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, developers decided the units would not be fully completed before athletes moved in. Since the athletes were going to eat in central cafeterias the room that would eventually become the units' kitchens could serve as an additional bedroom. Hardwood, tile and carpet flooring are to be installed after the games are over. Painted concrete floors was seen as more appropriate for housing for athletes, who could mar the surface of more expensive flooring, with spiked shoes or other athletic gear.


2015 Pan American Games Athletes' Village
The village is built on the site of former railway and industrial lands, including the William Davies Company, at one time the world's largest pork processing facility. After the meat industry moved out in the 1980s, the area was taken over by government to build a public housing project. The "Ataratiri" project failed in the 1990s, leaving the site mostly vacant for over ten years before the Waterfront Toronto agency was created to speed up the redevelopment of harbour lands in Toronto. The project was fast-tracked once Toronto was awarded the games, changing a twelve-year plan for redevelopment into a six-year plan.


2015 Pan American Games Parade of Nations
The 2015 Pan American Games Parade of Nations occurred at the 2015 Pan American Games opening ceremony, held beginning at 18:45 Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) on July 10, 2015. 41 athletes bearing the flags of their respective nations led their national delegations as they paraded into Pan Am Ceremonies Venue in the host city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


2015 Pan American Games Parade of Nations
Athletes entered the stadium in an order dictated by tradition. As the host of the first Pan American Games, Argentina entered first. The Canadian delegation entered last, representing the host nation. The remaining countries entered in Spanish alphabetical order as per Pan American Sports Organization protocol.


2015 Pan American Games Parade of Nations
As each nation entered the music reflected the traditional instruments and melodic styles of each of the 41 countries and territories. Silhouettes portraying the five disciplines of the pentathlon appear in the distance to honour their entrance (javelin, long jump, wrestling, discus and running), where the first multi sport games and the Pan American Games grew from their foundations. Each nation was preceded by a placard bearer holding a high-tech LED Device which flashed the name of each participating team in the three languages (English, French and Spanish), the former two also being the official languages of Canada.