TORONTO - Toronto has one fewer competitor in its quest to host the 2015 Pan Am Games.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's office says the group representing the city of Caracas, Venezuela, announced Friday that it had declined to table its bid.
That leaves only Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia in contention with Toronto.
McGuinty is in Acapulco, Mexico, this week to present his province's case for hosting the event to the Pan American Sports Organization.
The $1.77-billion bid involves Toronto and at least 11 other municipalities throughout the Golden Horseshoe and as far north as Barrie.
The last time Ontario hosted a major international sporting was the 1930 Commonwealth Games in Hamilton in 1930.
Former Ontario premier David Peterson is heading Toronto's bid.
"Ontario is ready, willing, eager and able to host the 2015 Pan Am Games. We will do everything in our power to live up to the spirit of the Games, and make the event truly unforgettable," McGuinty said in a release.
It's estimated the Games would generate some $2 billion in economic activity, create 17,000 jobs and attract about 250,000 tourists in the province.
The Pan Am Games, which involve athletes from 42 countries, are held every four years, with the 2011 Games scheduled for Guadalajara, Mexico. Canada last hosted the Games in 1999 in Winnipeg.
