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Toronto Olympic bid talk should wait until after Pan Am Games, John Tory says

Mayor John Tory says the city now has sports facilities to host international competitions that could previously only be held in Vancouver, leaving the door open for a possible future Olympic bid.

'Everything is on the table until you take things off the table,' says mayor

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Mayor John Tory says the city now has sports facilities to host international competitions that could previously only be held in Vancouver, leaving the door open for a possible future Olympic bid.

Earlier today, Tory said it's premature to talk about the city's potential for a bid with just days left until the Pan Am Games wrap up. 

"There's a whole variety of international events and sporting competitions that we're now in a position to host, which I think is good for Toronto, good for Ontario and good for Canada, and the Olympics is one of those, obviously, about which there's a great discussion," Tory said.

Tory said that after the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games end, officials will "sit down and talk about these things together as we will and decide what's best in terms of what we go forward with, whether it's an Olympic bid or a host of other things one could go forward with."

"I guess everything's on the table until you take it off the table," he said.

Earlier this year, a city committee voted to halt the process of pursuing a bid for the 2024 Games. Toronto finished third behind Atlanta and Athens for the 1996 summer games and second to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.

But the success of the Pan Am Games has raised the prospect that Toronto might make a play for a future Olympic bid.

The Games have brought about 6,000 athletes from 41 participating countries to Toronto. There were concerns about whether or not certain venues would be ready in time. There were also worries about traffic problems. So far, however, things have gone smoothly for the host city.

Tory made his comments after his regular meeting with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Tory praised Games organizers for a successful event so far and said Games volunteers deserve special recognition for their work. 

With files from Canadian Press

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