Day 6: What’s been happening at the YOG

Performance of the Day

Brazilians are renowned throughout the world for their skills with a ball at their feet, but in Buenos Aires their men’s 3x3 basketball team is proving they’re also pretty useful with a ball in their hands. After a win and a defeat earlier in the tournament, the boys from Brazil today faced a make-or-break tie against a hotly-tipped New Zealand team, with a likely place in the quarterfinals at stake. Having recently won the FIBA 3x3 U18 Asia Cup – and led by that tournament’s MVP, dunk machine Max De Geest – the Kiwis were widely expected to challenge for a medal at the YOG. But in a close encounter at the Urban Park, it was the Brazilians who came out on top 20-17, with their subsequent 15-8 win over Andorra, confirming their place in the last eight alongside Ukraine, as New Zealand missed out.

Taking centre stage

Argentinian athletes are becoming overnight celebrities thanks to their performances at the YOG. The new heartthrob of Buenos Aires, B-Boy Broly, is no longer able to walk down the street without being asked for a picture after his silver medal in team breaking, while Agustina Roth, who won gold in BMX freestyle, today sat alongside IOC Sports Director Christophe Dubi in the official press conference that marked the halfway point of the Games.

As Dubi announced that half a million fans have experienced the Games so far – thanks in part to the unprecedented success of the new sports in the Urban Park – Roth, cap on back-to-front, revealed that she is already thinking about the next Olympic Games. “We are very impressed with the great support we got from the crowds, and we are now getting excited for Tokyo 2020,” she said.

Unsung heroes “a part of history”

No edition of the Olympic Games would be possible without the tireless efforts of thousands of volunteers – and the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 are no exception. More than 8,000 local and international volunteers were recruited to help the YOG run smoothly, working in a wide range of essential roles such as spectator assistance, translation services, media relations and sports competition support. And those who were lucky enough to be chosen have been helping to make the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 an unforgettable experience for fans and athletes alike. From giving out “free hugs” in the Youth Olympic Park and providing useful information to simply welcoming everyone with a smile, the volunteers have been the unsung heroes of the Games so far. And it seems that they are loving every minute of it too.

“I hope the Games never end,” says 18-year-old Joaquin Bustos, a Buenos Aires native who has been volunteering at the sailing venue. “I thought it might be hard work, but it’s more like a picnic with friends! We didn’t know each other before, but all the volunteers here have become very close; it has been a great experience. And I will always be able to say that I was a part of history and played a small role in the Olympic Games ; that gives me lots of pride.”

Quote of the Day

“Here it is so cold. When I first came here, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I wish I was still in Juba [in South Sudan].’ My body is not really used to this.”

The cooler temperatures in Buenos Aires surprised South Sudan’s Stephen Chol Atem when he first arrived in Argentina ahead of his taekwondo event.