Pachi comes to Hamilton

The 2015 Pan Am games are still over a year away, but that didn’t stop some of Hamilton’s tiniest residents from getting excited early.

Mayor Bob Bratina introduced Pachi, the Pan Am games mascot, to some toddlers at the Hamilton YWCA this morning.

Pachi is a porcupine and was created by four students from Buttonville Public School in Markham. This summer their winning design beat out 4,000 others.

Pachi and Hamilton kids danced and sang as steel bands played in the background. Hamilton will be hosting just one event – soccer – and Bratina believes that will be great for the city.

“It helps to put Hamilton which has been languishing for too many years back in the centre stage of Canadian life and the western hemisphere, the entire Pan Ams.”

The event was to help launch Pan Am games merchandise. The best little dancer got to take home their very own Pachi toy.