100 days to Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018
In just 100 days, the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be alive with the first-ever street-party style Opening Ceremony that will mark the start of the Youth Olympic Games 2018 (YOG), which will take place from 6 to 18 October this year.
With free access to the public, hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line the main avenue in the Argentinian capital, Avenida 9 de Julio, where the ground-breaking Opening Ceremony will spectacularly mark the start of the Games around the iconic Obelisco monument.
The vision to bring sport to the people of Buenos Aires will truly become the reality throughout the Games, with the free-access policy enabling spectators to move freely throughout the four parks spread across the city. With a simple access bracelet, visitors to the parks can experience not only the high-level sports competitions, but also the festivals and activities in place to ensure that the YOG are the most immersive and engaging celebration of sport and culture. Thirty-two sports will be on the programme at this year’s YOG, including four new ones: karate, dance sport (breaking), roller sports and sport climbing.
To help count down the days to the YOG and spread the word nationwide, throughout August and September a Torch Tour will travel the length and breadth of Argentina, before arriving in the capital to light up the city on 6 October.
While the best young athletes around the world continue to vie and qualify for one of the 4,000 places − which, for the first time in Olympic history will be equally split between men and women − supporting them in their final journey to the YOG are hundreds of inspiring Young Change-Makers and Athlete Role Models. Hailing from various backgrounds in sport, and including Olympic and world champions, this group will encourage the young athletes throughout the next 100 days and act as mentors during Games time.
With the Youth Olympic Village now completed and final preparations deemed well on track by the IOC Coordination Commission on its final visit earlier this month, the local organisers continue to focus on preparing the 8,300 volunteers and on their continued youth engagement efforts. Close to 1 million young people have participated in sports activities themed around the Youth Olympic Games to ensure that Buenos Aires has a long-term impact on its youth population.
For more information, visit www.buenosaires2018.com