It’s official! Javier Mascherano is joining the Buenos Aires 2018 team
The football player with the most appearances in the history of Argentine football and a gold medal winner at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 was named as the new national Ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.
Football
Buenos Aires 2018 has a new player on its team of ambassadors. It’s Javier Mascherano, one of the most renowned football players on the planet.
Mascherano, who will soon play his fourth FIFA World Cup with the Argentine side, was selected to be one of the icons for the biggest multisport celebration in Argentina’s history.
“It’s an enormous honour that they have selected me as an Ambassador for the first Youth Olympic Games to be held in my country,” said Mascherano.
Mascherano, chosen by the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee, will join South Africa’s Chad Le Clos, a multiple medal winner in Olympic swimming; Luis Scola, an Argentine basketball Olympic champion; and Luciana Aymar, an Argentine field hockey legend and four-time Olympic medallist, in supporting the YOG both locally and internationally.
With an extensive career, including contracts with world famous clubs such as River Plate (the club where he made his Argentine football debut), Liverpool in England, and FC Barcelona in Spain, Mascherano is known throughout the world for his leadership abilities both on and off the pitch.
He has made 143 appearances with the Argentine jersey, making him the most capped player in the country’s history.
It’s an enormous honour that they have selected me as an Ambassador for the first Youth Olympic Games to be held in my country Javier Mascherano
- Javier Mascherano
Just ahead of his fourth World Cup and having played in all the Argentine youth categories, Mascherano has left his mark on Argentina’s history of Olympic sport as a national team protagonist.
“To the young athletes who are going to participate in Buenos Aires 2018, I encourage them to live this experience to the maximum. It’s really interesting to get know other athletes and also those from other countries. That’s what the Olympic Games are about,” added Mascherano.
The ambassadors are chosen by the IOC and the local organising committee for each edition of the Youth Olympic Games. The objective is to motivate the young athletes and local youth to adopt an active lifestyle through the practice of sport by sharing the inspirational experiences that their careers in sport have given them. Past Ambassadors for the summer YOG include sports legends such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Yelena Isinbayeva, Michelle Wie and Yao Ming.