Buenos Aires 2018 to Host Special Olympic Day Festival

Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA, 21 June, 2013: Celebrating its 90th anniversary, the Argentinean Olympic Committee, together with the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games Bid, will be hosting a special city-centre festival on Saturday 22nd June to celebrate 2013 Olympic Day.

Olympic Day marks the anniversary of the founding of the International Olympic Committee [IOC] on 23rd June 1894 and this year will be the 65th time that Olympic Day is celebrated around the world.

Staged in the green surroundings of the central Palermo Woods area, Buenos Aires’ Olympic Day festival will be a free sporting and culture public event where more than 40 sports are showcased to the public by Argentinean athletes. The local community, including people of all ages, will also have the opportunity to participate and learn about new sports and the benefit of active, healthy lifestyles.

Palermo Woods, home to the proposed Triathlon and Golf venues and location for many of the events in the Culture and Education Programme in the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games Plan, is a popular retreat for both children and adults which forms part of the city’s ‘Green Corridor’, an ecological expanse stretching three kilometres along the banks of the scenic River Plate. The ‘Green Corridor’ will be one of the two main sports hubs should Buenos Aires be chosen to stage the YOG in 2018.

Gerardo Werthein, President of the Argentinean Olympic Committee, said:

"The Argentinean Olympic Committee and Buenos Aires 2018 are delighted to once again bring these wonderful Olympic Day celebrations back Buenos Aires. This year’s celebrations will be extra special because not only are we celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Argentinean Olympic Committee but also because we are embarking on the final stages of Buenos Aires’ bid to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

"The spirit of Olympism is firmly embedded in Argentinean culture and this weekend we will witness this when thousands of people, young and old, turn out to celebrate and take part in this momentous sporting occasion.

"This festival of activities will encapsulate what Buenos Aires can offer to the IOC and the Youth Olympic Games – a mass celebration of sport and culture in a safe, vibrant and iconic setting which will mobilise Buenos Aires’ diverse and youthful population to become more active and take part in sport on a more regular basis. This will be a fun-filled, educational event that will bring to life the true spirit of Buenos Aires."

Francisco Irarrazaval, Buenos Aires Under-Secretary of Sport and Chief Executive of the Buenos Aires 2018 Bid Committee, said:

"It is an honour for Buenos Aires 2018 to host an Olympic Day festival. We look forward to welcoming the Buenos Aires community for a unique celebration of Olympic sport and culture.

"For many years, our Olympic Day festivities have attracted thousands of local Olympic enthusiasts and helped to engage new generations of sports fans. Olympic Day in Buenos Aires shows just how passionate we are about the Olympic spirit – it burns bright among the citizens of our city and country.

"Buenos Aires’ bid for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games is further expression of our deep commitment to spread Olympic ideals to young people in a new part of the world and help advance the Olympic Movement in South America."

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