Youth Olympic Flame Tours Aquatic Centre in Historic Relay

Buenos Aires, July 26. The Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee officially welcomed the arrival of the sacred flame in Argentina with an act that followed the lighting ceremony in Athens, Greece.

The welcome ceremony was held in the Aquatic Centre in the Youth Olympic Park. The site will be home to swimming, diving, and modern pentathlon competitions at the Games.

Gerardo Werthein, president of the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee, and Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, mayor of the city of Buenos Aires, both attended the act, in addition to other officials, well-known Argentine Olympians and young athletes preparing for the Youth Olympic Games.

"We want this to be the torch of peace and union of all people through our city", said Gerardo Werthein, president of the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee.

The act had an unforgettable moment when the sacred fire was handed between Argentine sport legends and young athletes who will compete at Buenos Aires 2018.

Juan Curuchet, an Olympic cycling champion at Beijing 2008, kicked off the relay. Sol Ordas, a young Argentine rower who will represent her country at Buenos Aires 2018 then took the torch. The third relay runner was Dante Cittadini, an Argentine Nacra 15 star who will also be competing at the Games.

Sebastián Crismanich, gold medallist in taekwondo at London 2012, was the athlete who carried the flame for the longest stretch within the Aquatic Centre. He passed on the flame to Victoria Saputo, a Pan American Youth boxing champion. In the last segment of the relay the torch was carried by Teresa Romairone, Cittadini's Nacra 15 partner for Buenos Aires 2018.

On August 5 the Torch Tour will begin. The youth Olympic flame will travel through 17 cities, covering 14,000 kilometres while highlighting Argentina's cultural and geographical diversity.

Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee

prensa@buenosaires2018.com

About the Youth Olympic Games

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international, multi-sport event for young athletes aged 15-18 with an educative and cultural nature that aims to foster the Olympic values in youth.

The event, which takes place every four years (in its two versions, winter and summer, that alternate every two years), is promoted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games will be held from October 6 -18 with the participation of 4000 athletes from 206 countries.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only