Serena Ryder performs official Pan Am Games song

As critical cultural components, sport and music serve the same function of bringing people together. Therefore, it is unsurprising that athletics and music are often combined at major sporting events, like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. Who can forget Nikki Yanokfsy’s, “I Believe,” from the Vancouver Olympics or Shakira’s “Waka Waka” for the South African World Cup?

The official song for the Pan Am Games has just been released. Entitled “We Are One,” the song is sung by Serena Ryder and written by Murray Daigle, Jasmine Denham and Bobby John. Ryder will give a live performance at the Pan Am Closing Ceremonies.

The song was created during a multi-day workshop run by the Songwriters Association of Canada. It was chosen out of 70 submissions and the single song was recorded with seventeen artists collaborating.

The song is available on iTunes. A French version sung by Jasmine Denham and a Spanish version sung by Eva Avila will be released next month as the lead up to the Pan Am Games continues.