Youth Olympic Games

ECHANDIA ZARATE Katherin Oriana gets first YOG Gold

Weightlifting kicked off today with altogether 120 athletes from 63 countries competing at the 3rd edition of the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires, ARG. Youth athletes will have the chance to get to know the Olympic values better and dive into the spirit of Olympism. The Europe Pavilion, venue to host the competitions, saw the victory of 17 years old ECHANDIA ZARATE Katherin Oriana (VEN). Also Gold Medallist at the 2nd South American Youth Games and Pan American Youth Championships, she improved her performance and reached a Total of 167kg. Silver Medallist NGUYEN Thi Thu Trang (VIE) made it to 147kg while KARASAKAL Nida (TUR) ended third with 138kg. After this promising start, all three athletes have a promising future

BUENOS AIRES 2018 KICKED OFF WITH A RECORD CROWD

THE 3RD SUMMER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES BUENOS AIRES 2018 HAVE GOT OFF TO A GREAT START! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES, THE OPENING CEREMONY WAS HELD IN THE STREET, WITH THE CELEBRATION OPEN TO ALL - AND OVER 200.000 PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THE PARTY! Opening the event to the general public made for a truly remarkable atmosphere on the vibrant Avenida 9 de Julio, the main avenue in Buenos Aires where the Ceremony took place. The porteños sang, danced and celebrated on what was a magical evening, showing their enthusiasm at hosting the Youth Olympic Games in their city. The show itself was spectacular, with the Olympic rings appearing to float in the air, the Youth Olympic sports being presented on the iconic Obelisk, and numerous tango dancers performing on the balconies of the apartments lining the avenue. Almost 2,000 people worked to ensure the smooth running of the Ceremony, including more than 350 artists, technicians and musicians from the Argentinian theatre company Fuerza Bruta, which captivated a worldwide audience. Addressing the young athletes in his speech, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “To get here, each of you trained and competed hard. You gave your best in the sport you love so much. This is why you deserve to be here, at your Games. Every athlete is different. We all come from different parts of the world and have different cultures. But we are all united by the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Guided by these Olympic values, each one of you makes a difference in sport and in life. This experience will stay with you for all your life. We are all assembled here to celebrate you, as the real game-changers.” The final part of the Ceremony saw the Youth Olympic flame being passed between several young Argentinian athletes representing all the other athletes, the #GameChangers, who will be inspiring the public over the next 12 days of competition. The Torch Relay concluded with two legends of Argentinian sport – Paula Pareto and Santiago Lange – who had the honour of lighting the cauldron with the Youth Olympic flame. The flame will now be moved to the Youth Olympic Park, where it will continue to burn until the end of the Games on 18 October. The Ceremony culminated in a dazzling firework display, which illuminated the Buenos Aires night sky amidst the cheers of the athletes and the public. Let the Youth Olympic Games begin! Source:

The sports equipment of Buenos Aires 2018 will include more than 20,000 items

More than just muscles are necessary to compete in any sport. Other essentials are required for the game to make sense. Can you imagine tennis, beach volleyball, futsal, hockey 5s, rugby sevens, table tennis, beach handball or 3x3 basketball without a ball? The Sports Equipment sector of the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee is in charge of ensuring the fundamental elements for each competition. They have the responsibility of finding 7,393 balls: 4,980 for tennis, 600 for beach volleyball, 545 for futsal, 300 for hockey 5s, 300 for rugby sevens, 288 for table tennis, 280 for beach handball, and 100 for 3x3 basketball. Instead of being played with balls, badminton uses goose feathers and many are used each game - so many, that for these Youth Olympic Games they’ll have 10,800 feathers (900 dozen) on hand. But for 6 October they will also need 10 courts, 10 nets and 24 posts. All of this will be in the hands of the Sport Equipment team. For many of the 32 sports they’ll be providing the essentials. For example, the 8 pairs of goals for beach handball, the 4 sets of boards for hockey 5s, the 10 nets for beach volleyball, 3 hoops for 3x3 basketball, the 24 table tennis tables, 4 sport climbing walls and 15 diving boards. Athletics is the sport that requires the most items. The list begins with specific objects for each discipline: 24 discuses, 24 hammers, 24 javelins, and 24 shots. And these are in addition to the 250 cones, 190 hurdles, 28 starting blocks, 4 record indicators, 60 chalk blocks, and 16 high jump bars. There will even be a couple remote control carts to transport things… Gymnastics comes after athletics in terms of equipment needs with its 10 exercise floors (half for artistic gymnastics and half for rhythmic). It also requires 23 trampolines, 3 asymmetrical bars, 3 landing mats, 3 balance beams, 5 vaults and 3 pommel horses. Different kinds of equipment are used for the combat sports at Buenos Aires 2018. For boxing there will be 80 pairs of boxing gloves, 300 bandage tapes, and 68 helmets. The others also have specific requirements: 50 taekwondo uniforms, 16 karate belts and 60 judogis for judo. Some sports have even more particular equipment. For sailing, 18 inflatable boats, 14 catamarans for Nacra 15 and 48 windsurfer boards will be needed for the competitions at Buenos Aires 2018. Pentathlon has 28 laser pistols (model PP500), while archery will use 1,000 targets. Weightlifting has 1,200 plates, which are provided by Eleiko. All of these things must be present for the Games to kick off this weekend! Source: aipsmedia.com — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

“Olímpicos” – The YOG Buenos Aires Victory Theme Song

“Olympicos”, composed by the renowned Argentine Musician, Leo Sujatovich, will be played at the podiums as the Victory Ceremony theme song at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. It meant to provoke emotions through energy, force and joy and set the mood for unforgettable moments in the lives of the young athletes. The song will be played at the ceremonies for all 241 medal events during the 12 days of competition. Listen to the song at the #buenosaires2018 Instagram page! “I’m passionate about making music for specific situations. As a starting point, I watched footage of past ceremonies. The award ceremony is a time of pure emotion, coming after the adrenaline of the game. The athletes cry… that represents a strong stimulus and it helps in the creation of the music,” Sujatovich told buenosaires2018.com. Buenos Aires 2018 granted him the challenge of composing the music that the medallists and fans will remember forever: “I consider myself lucky because it’s one more way to perpetuate what I write. I need to think about who my work is for. And I have to believe in what I want to transmit.” Alongside Leo on keyboards and guitar, the song features Nicolás Enrich on bandoneon, Jonathan Bisulca on trumpet, Juan Canosa on tenor and bass trombone, Fernando Chiappero on French horn, Guillermo Rubino and Natalia Cabello on violins, and Paula Pomeraniec on cello. “The bandoneon gives it a local feel. A trademark of Buenos Aires. The rest of the instrumentation provokes emotion through energy, force and joy. Those guys are giving everything they have to accomplish something great for their country,” explained Sujatovich regarding Olímpicos, a song that will move everyone in October. Source: buenosaires2018 — Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Buenos Aires 2018 YOG mascot has been launched!

The official mascot for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games has been revealed by the Organising Committee today. Named #Pandi, inspired by the jaguar, the country's most emblematic wild animal found in Northern Argentina. The mascot aims to inspire youth to embrace sport as a tool to make the world a better place, while also raising awareness about the species risk of extinction. The hashtag in his name meant to demonstrate the strong online presence. In the animation revealed, we can see the young jaguar making his way through the city, finally reaching the iconic Obelisc, the location of the Opening Ceremony.   Throughout his journey, #Pandi doesn't give up when faced with challenges as it tries to reach the ribbons with colors that symbolize Buenos Aires 2018. With perseverance and the festive spirit it reveals upon reaching its goal, #Pandi symbolizes the desire for Buenos Aires 2018, the first edition of an Olympic celebration with strict gender equality, to serve as an important source of inspiration to build a better world through sport. "Like the young athletes that give their best to qualify for the Games, the Buenos Aires 2018 mascot overcomes all types of adversity to reach its goals", said the president of the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee, Gerardo Werthein. https://youtu.be/cOw3hIfotFI Follow IWF: Facebook Instagram Twitter

Buenos Aires