Forty-five sport competitions — more than half are international in scope — are coming to Ontario from May 2014 to May 2015, offering a unique chance to get a taste of what’s to come at Games time.

Wheelchair rugby, water skiing, swimming, diving, volleyball, taekwondo, bowling and baseball are just some of the exciting competitions that are set to draw up to 12,000 athletes from across Canada and around the world, as well as thousands of spectators.

They’ll take place in 16 communities, including: Toronto, Ajax, Brampton, Burlington, Guelph, Hamilton, Innisfil, London, Markham, Milton, Minden, Mississauga, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Oro-Medonte, St. Catharines and Whitby.

All but two of the competitions are owned and managed by their respective national sport organizations, with additional financial support provided by TO2015 to help bring or keep the events in Ontario.

The Organizing Committee is using the events to test a variety of operational areas, such as athlete transportation, accessibility, overlay, timing and scoring, field of play and volunteer services. The testing is crucial to ensure athletes can perform at their best at the Games.

For more information, including ticket prices, dates and locations, check out the chart below and contact the national sport organization in charge of the competition.