The University of Toronto today confirmed that Varsity Centre will host a world-class track and field meet on June 11th featuring Olympic triple gold medallist and world record holder Usain Bolt. Regarded as the “world’s fastest human,” Bolt will headline the marquee event of the evening, the men’s 100 metres. Observers are keen to see if the Jamaican-born sprinter will better his 9.69 second world-record time.
Dubbed the “Festival of Excellence,” this landmark event will return Varsity Stadium to glory in the world of track and field. The original stadium, demolished in the summer of 2002, was the site of some of Canadian track’s best moments, including Bill Crothers’ defeat of world champion Peter Snell in a memorable 880-yard race in 1965, and David Bailey’s first Canadian four-minute mile on Canadian soil in 1967.
The “Festival of Excellence” falls between two other major championships in a month of exciting competition at Varsity Centre. The OFSAA Track and Field Championships, the biggest athletics event for Ontario high school track athletes, will take place June 3-5. The 2009 Canadian senior track and field championships will run June 25-28.
The breadth of this summer’s line-up runs in conjunction with a playground to podium philosophy in sport and physical activity at U of T. The approach fosters long-term development for all students and athletes, from the elementary school student to the international competitor. The “Festival of Excellence” embodies this approach. In attracting top talent to Varsity Centre, U of T hopes to inspire students and athletes at all levels and abilities to participate in sport for fun, competition and health.
“We are entering a new era at U of T in terms of our ability to host outstanding athletic competition,” says Liz Hoffman, U of T’s director of athletics. “The University’s involvement with high performance sport has never been greater, and our plans to reach higher are continuing to build.”
Another example of the university’s goal to take high performance sport to the next level through the playground to podium model is the proposed construction of the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on Devonshire Place immediately across the street from Varsity Stadium. The project has received approval in principle from the University and will feature a world-class sport medicine clinic, sport science research and teaching labs, and the 2,000-seat Kimel Family Field House for basketball and volleyball. The Goldring Centre will serve as a major nexus for innovation in sports science research, sports medicine and the training of coaches.
Bolt’s appearance at Varsity Centre is linked to Ontario’s “Run Like Lightning” program that raised funds for a UNICEF HIV/AIDS project in the Caribbean. Tickets for the “Festival of Excellence” will go on sale through www.ticketbreak.com in the coming weeks.
“Usain is delighted to confirm his participation in the Festival of Excellence in Toronto,” says Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms. “It has been six years since he last competed in Canada in the IAAF World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke where, at 16, he won gold in the 200m and broke the Championship Record. We hear good things about the Varsity Centre and hope this will become one of the top meets on the circuit in years to come.”