Brave new world in Buenos Aires
Gender equality
The headline innovation in the Argentinian capital was the historic decision to make the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 the first-ever gender-equal Olympic Games – among almost 4,000 young athletes across 32 sports. “This is an excellent step forward,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We have made history – to have equal numbers of women and men competing for the first time at the Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games. As well as being another big step forward in the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, this is a great milestone for women’s sport and for the Olympic Movement as a whole.”
Sporting evolution
In keeping with YOG tradition, Buenos Aires 2018 welcomed new sports as well as new disciplines on the programme. Dance sport, karate, roller speed and sport climbing all made their Olympic debuts, while BMX freestyle, kiteboarding, beach handball, futsal and acrobatic gymnastics featured for the first time. Three new and exciting demonstration sports – karting, polo and squash – were also added, with a view to potential inclusion in future editions of the YOG.
