It is the 4th of July holiday in the United States, but in Switzerland the IOC is still in session, and today voted Buenos Aires, Argentina as the host of the 2018 edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Buenos Aires won the bid over Glasgow, Scotland and Medellin, Colombia, with Glasgow being the first knocked out and then South American winning ahead of their South American rivals.
This voting seems to demonstrate the latest push by the IOC into South America after a decade moving toward southeast Asia. The first edition was in Singapore in 2010, and in 2014 Nanjing, China will host. Then in 2016, the full Summer Olympics will make its first trip to South America in Rio de Janeiro before the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
The event started with some skepticism in 2010, where major players like the United States were hesitant to send even their top-tier youth swimmers. After establishing itself as a popular spectator event with innovations like co-ed relays, though, that tide should begin to turn. The 2010 event was an important developmental stepping-stone for a lot of athletes who are now mentioned among the best in the world, such as South Africa’s Chad le Clos, the Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov, Australia’s Kenneth To, the Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina, and Canada’s Tera van Beilen.
Come on guys,
It’s Youth Olympics. Anyway, one problem with these different games and meetings is the fact they are becoming a bit too fancy. It raises a bar higher in an unnecessary way and I’d not be so sure it’s good even for sport itself. It’s the atmosphere, thrilling competition etc. that makes the games succesfull. Not some waiting minutes at the bus stop.
Last south american champs there was a cold pool and just that pool, no pool for resting/taking the lactate out.. don´t know the right term in english for it.. the situation I´m talking too is bigger.. and on infrastructure there was not enough food for everyone and even some cases of people having to go to the hospital because of lack of storage conditions..
Argentina? Do not expect much.. the country is a complete economic chaos.. friends just got from there lately and they say while the gov says the inflantion is less than 20% year the real one is on 2 digit a month.. the country is broke and do not have the money to fund any event.. all south american championships held here end up being a total disgrace because of bad pool, no infrastructure ad others..
Im argentinian and can’t believe that Buenos Aires won the bid…. Its an amazing city but things look really bad from now on to 2018, I would have chosen glasgow right away, hope that we can put some pretty decent games…