Markham is RIO Ready! Celebrating our athletes as they journey to the 2016 Olympic Games

Mayor Frank Scarpitti was joined by Federal and Provincial Government representatives, Members of Markham Council, and the Markham community including Beverley De Grasse, mother of track sensation Andre De Grasse, to celebrate our Markham athletes making the journey to Rio.

The Markham Pan Am centre was transformed into a colourful display of Olympic colours and Canadian flags and Brazilian flags in honour of the host country of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Master of Ceremonies, and 105.9 the Region sportscaster Jim Lang set the stage, talking about the sometimes lonely road of an amateur athlete striving for Olympic Gold and the grit needed to persevere. Up-and-coming group 'Caardia's' Annie and Celia Siriopoulos sang the national anthem and an uplifting rendition of "I believe" with images of Markham's Olympic-bound athletes rolling in the background. Isabella Santiago, former mini-pop Canada star also graced the audience with a wonderful version of "Catch My Breath".

Some of our athletes surprised guests with personal video messages thanking Markham, its residents and Mayor Frank Scarpitti for their ongoing support. View these athlete messages on our Road to Rio YouTube playlist. Markham responded with their own personal messages of support and congratulations to all of our Markham and Canadian athletes. 

Today begins our countdown to Rio with a giant calendar in the lobby of the Markham Pan Am Centre to mark down the days to the start of the Games and record Canada's and Markham's medal count.

The full list of athlete's who are from or train in Markham and who have made it to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro:

1   Javier Acevedo: Swimming

2   Maxime Brinck Croteau: Fencing

3   Andre De Grasse: 100M and 200M

4   Tracey Ferguson: Wheelchair Basketball

5   Phylicia George: Track and Field

6   Michelle Li: Badminton

7   Mo Zhang: Table Tennis

It really is an exciting time for sports in our City. Markham is home to many internationally ranked athletes and even more rising young stars.