TORONTO - A year before the curtain goes up on the 2016 Rio Olympics, Canadas top summer athletes will be playing their hearts out on home soil. Stephan Lichtsteiner Jersey .Toronto is hosting the 2015 Pan American Games — a direct Olympic qualifying event for many athletes, and a rare chance to compete in front of a Canadian crowd for virtually all of them.Canada is fielding its largest-ever Pan Am Games team of 700 athletes, and has set a goal of finishing second in the medals — behind perennial champion U.S. — with 160.Some 6,600 athletes from 41 countries will compete in 36 Pan Am sports — including 28 Olympic sports — plus 15 Parapan Am sports. Toronto beat out Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia, to host the Pan Ams, which run July 10-26. The Parapan Am Games are Aug. 7-14.Here are five Pan Am storylines to watch:The Road to Rio: When Canadas mens field hockey team edged Argentina in a sudden-death shootout at the 2007 Pan Ams in Rio, it clinched the Canadians a spot in the Beijing Games. It was one of the most memorable moments of Rio.Any time an Olympic berth is on the line its super exciting, said former Canadian field hockey captain Ken Pereira. We didnt play well throughout the tournament, all our games were close. But our best game was our finals versus Argentina. We were chasing and behind the whole game and tied it up with under three minutes.The Toronto Pan Ams will be an Olympic qualifier for 19 sports — either directly or indirectly — setting up some thrilling do-or-die moments. With direct qualifiers such as field hockey and mens water polo, its as simple as: win and go to Rio.Among the direct qualifiers: mens and womens field hockey, mens water polo, three-metre and 10-metre individual diving, all three equestrian events (dressage, eventing, jumping), handball, modern pentathlon, sailing (laser and laser radial), shooting (rifle, pistol and shot gun), table tennis and triathlon.---Games Debuts: A year before speedy winger Magali Harvey — the 2014 IRB womens player of the year — and her Canadian womens rugby teammates make their Olympic debut in Rio, theyll play in their first-ever Pan Am tournament. The mens game made its Pan Am debut in 2011, where Canada won gold. Golf, canoe slalom, and womens baseball will also make their Pan Am debuts in Toronto. The golf competition could provide a sneak peak of the Olympics. The sport was on the Olympic program in 1900 and 1904, and will finally make its Olympic return in 2016 in Rio.---Non-Olympic sports: When Stubby Clapp hit his bases-loaded single in the 11th inning against the U.S. at the 1999 Pan Ams in Winnipeg, it put Canadian baseball on the map. Clapp became a household name. Baseball is one of eight non-Olympic sports at the Toronto Pan Ams. This will be their biggest multi-sport experience, and a chance to show they deserve to be on the Olympic program.I think it changed a lot of guys careers, Clapp said of the 99 Pan Ams. That tournament was important for me because I was able to showcase my individual talents, but it was more important for us as a country and as a program that was up and coming, and for all the guys who worked so hard to give our country a good baseball program.The seven other non-Olympic sports are water-skiing, wakeboard, racquetball, squash, baseball, softball, karate and bowling. ---Stars are Born: Perdita Felicien was just out of college when she won silver in the 100-metre hurdles at the 2003 Pan Ams in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Jamaican Brigitte Foster-Hylton won the gold. Weeks later, Felicien would go on to win the world championships, and she and Foster-Hylton would go on to be two of the worlds best for the next decade.The Pan Am games was the arena I needed to grow my competitive instincts as an athlete, Felicien said. Its a world class competition that builds champions, without it as a platform, I wouldnt have gone on to enjoy 10 years as one of the worlds best hurdlers.---The Controversy: Theres been criticism over the budget. It was originally announced at $1.4 billion — not including the $709 million cost of the athletes village — but is now expected to top $2.57 billion. Security costs were most recently in the news, with organizers estimating costs of $247.4 million, more than double the original estimate of $121.9 million in Torontos bid for the Games.Theres been staffing issues, including the firing of CEO Ian Troop a year ago.Traffic will be a concern for what some are already calling the Gridlock Games. With plans to implement HOV lanes to ferry athletes and officials, residents and businesses have been warned to look for transportation options for next summer. And the big question remains: Will Torontonians, with so many entertainment options, embrace the Games? 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The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year.SARASOTA, Florida – On a pristine, cloudless Saturday morning before his Blue Jays took to the field to play the Orioles, manager John Gibbons assumed his familiar perch behind home plate to watch his charges take batting practice. That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. To his left stood his high school baseball coach, Syl Perez and on his right, Frank Arnold, Gibbons high school football coach. The two are spending these early days of camp with the man they mentored. Its a chance for the men to catch up, reminisce about old times, and for Gibbons to share his pro experience with two people whove helped him along the way. "Your high school years are very big years in forming who youre going to be," Gibbons told TSN.ca. "When youre in athletics, if you get the right guys, it can steer you the right direction, teach you discipline, the work ethic and all the right stuff that benefit you in life." Arnold, 72, is a legend in Texas high school football, a state where "football is king," as Gibbons likes to remind the uninitiated. Gibbons played but didnt start at MacArthur High School in San Antonio. He was a running back, although in hindsight, Arnold thinks Gibbons was better suited to play linebacker because he was athletically inclined and had good instincts. Arnold also took notice, almost immediately, of Gibbons upbringing, especially his supportive parents, William and Sally. "Great kid, great family, never had, you know you have some parents who are a little overbearing, his parents were right there to support him," said Arnold. He had a knack for baseball, although Gibbons admits he was a late bloomer, especially offensively. A senior catcher graduated after Gibbons sophomore season, a year in which Gibbons played the outfield, and Perez had someone else pegged as the teams next catcher. Gibbons was still an unknown commodity. The coaching staff tried him at third base. It wasnt the right fit. "I dont care where I put John Gibbons, he was a catcher," said Perez. "I mean, it was in his DNA. He carries himself like a catcher." Perez had Gibbons and the would-be catching successor get behind the plate and simulate throwing out base stealers. "I timed him," said Perez. "From the time the sound hit the mitt to the time it hit the shortstop or second baseman at the bag. The other young man was very accurate but John was kind of like a Nolan Ryan. He was not very accurate, or not as accurate, but he would only average two seconds and sometimes slightly less than that. The other kid was 2.3, 2.4." Funny thing, Gibbons ended up catching that year. The other kid played third base. Both were all district at the end of the season, Gibbons in spite of a batting average below .200. He was that good defensively. His game rounded into form in his senior year, thanks to a scout named Buzzy Keller, who in advance of the baseball season, instructed Perez on a new hitting pphilosophy featuring a more compact swing. Mesut Ozil Jersey. Perez coached up Gibbons and the results were immediate. "John batted .500 in 19 games and he hit 10 home runs," said Perez. "Its not that he hit 10 home runs, its how far he hit those 10 home runs that really got him to be a lot more noticed. A lot of our practices were very, very well attended and of course, he went 24th overall in the first round (1980) to the Mets." A series of injuries derailed Gibbons big league playing career, the nail in the coffin being the Mets acquisition of Gary Carter before the 1985 season. He stayed around the game, coached at various levels over a number of years, and by 2004, was into his first run as manager of the Blue Jays. "Hes old school and the old school way of thinking is, good catchers become good managers," said Perez. "Theyre the only ones looking the other way at the entire defence. Lets face it, he may have been not a starter in his major league life but when hes in the bullpen catching and working with folks like the Dwight Goodens and such, Im sure hes going to learn some things." Gibbons credits Arnold and Perez with teaching him some of the tactics he employs to this day. "You get to this level, its a little different," said Gibbons. "Guys are very successful when they get to this level so theyve got a good idea of what they do. Theres not as much coaching, teaching and things like that and you give these guys a little more leeway because theyre adults. But theres a lot of the same principles that work. I dont care if youre in high school or big league baseball, you have to have discipline. You still have to play the right way." Gibbons fair, jovial but stern-when-he-needs-to-be personality endears him to those who know him best and have known him the longest. "Personally, I think he has the demeanour, the ability to work with people," said Arnold. "I hope he gets lucky this year because last year they had some bad luck, in my opinion, with injuries and other things. I follow him, I watch him all the time and Im very proud to say that I was around him." Arnold continued, "John is going to be the same on the docks with some dock workers as he is at some high class place with the boss. I just think hes a quality person. Hes not flashy, he is what he is but hes always good to people." Coming off a disappointing 74-88 season, a startling and uncomfortable thud after the offseason hype of a year ago, Gibbons knows there is pressure to rebound. His mentors know it, too. "Nobody wants you unless you win," said Arnold. "I dont care what level, what league so I wish him well and hope he has some great luck this year. I hope some of the guys have some great years because I think he deserves it." Gibbons is aware the fan base is angst-ridden, unsure of whether the Blue Jays can compete in the ultra-tough American League East. He knows about the Twitter faction thats popularized the "FireGibby" hashtag, understands and accepts its a fans right to be upset, but wants to be clear about something he says wont change, win or lose. "I want people to know that I care about Toronto, I care about Canada, and nobody wants to win for the fan base more than I do because I know they deserve it." ' ' '