(ATR) Argentinian IOC member Gerardo Werthein says the Buenos Aires YOG "will help the IOC lead the Olympic Movement towards new horizons".
Speaking after the Olympic flame was lit using the sun’s rays in a traditional ceremony at Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium, he told an audience of Olympic stakeholders and Greek VIPs: "Buenos Aires 2018 has started today.
"With pride, we will bring it to the south of the globe and, from there, we will enlighten the world with the inspiring message of Olympism and its values," the president of the Buenos Aires 2018 organizing committee said in his speech.
"We will carry the Youth Olympic Flame across thousands of kilometers of Argentina´s geography reaching Antarctica the southernmost point ever reached by the Olympic flame."
Werthein also emphasized that this October’s event would be the first Olympic competition with gender equality, with 1,893 women and the same number of men competing in the sports program.
"Thanks to my colleagues from the IOC, the international federations and the national Olympic committees, the third edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games will make history for closing the gender gap," he said.
The lighting ceremony was shorter than usual due to the deaths caused by wildfires outside Athens. Around 60 people have died in wildfires in the Attica region. Buenos Aires 2018 organizers expressed their solidarity with local authorities.
Werthein opened his speech by offering his "deep condolences to the Greek people on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic movement and the people of Argentina for the tragic loss of lives due to the fires.
"We all stand by you in this difficult moment," he said.
Torch Relay
After the high priestess used a parabolic mirror to light the flame with the sun’s rays, a short torch relay within the stadium was led by two Greek and two Argentine athletes. The two South American youth cycling champions were Valentina Muñoz and Yoel Vargas.
They were accompanied by Argentine cycling legend Walter Perez, a gold medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
"It may be that Patagonia is very far from this beautiful stadium. But I assure you that the flame’s glow doesn’t know distances," Muñoz said in a short speech.
Buenos Aires 2018 organizing committee CEO Leandro Larrosa was among the guests at the ceremony along with Matias Lopez, secretary of citizen development for Buenos Aires. Officials from the Hellenic Olympic Committee, headed by president Spyros Capralos, and the Argentine Embassy in Athens also took part.
The IOC delegation was led by Olympic athlete and member Danka Bartekova, who is a member of the Buenos Aires 2018 evaluation commission.
The youth Olympic flame will arrive in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. On Thursday, it will be welcomed in an official event at the Youth Olympic Village.
The Olympic flame’s journey will last two months and cover 14,000km, with city celebrations taking place in 17 provinces, before the October opening ceremony.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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