Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA, 23 June, 2013: Celebrating its 90th anniversary, the Argentinean Olympic Committee, in partnership with the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games Bid, has hosted a free public sports and culture festival this weekend to celebrate 2013 Olympic Day.

Held annually around the world, Olympic Day celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the International Olympic Committee [IOC] on 23rd June 1894.
In a mass celebration of Olympism in Buenos Aires, more than 15,000 people – young and old – attended the city’s Olympic Day festival. It was held in the largest green and open area of Buenos Aires known as Palermo Woods, which also features Palermo Lake.

The Olympic Day public celebration event involved sporting demonstrations and exhibitions by high profile Argentinean Olympians and other athletes such as Juan Curuchet, who won Gold in the Madison cycling event at Beijing 2008. Members of the public were also encouraged to participate in the sporting exhibitions, providing children and young people especially with the opportunity to have free and unique access to a broad array of sports. Overall, more than 40 sports were showcased at the Buenos Aires Olympic Day festival.

Members of the Buenos Aires 2018 Bid Committee showed their support of Olympic Day by also participating in the festival events. Those present included Gerardo Werthein, President of the Argentinean Olympic Committee, Mario Moccia, Secretary of the Argentinean Olympic Committee and Francisco Irarrazaval, Buenos Aires 2018 Chief Executive.

Gerardo Werthein, President of the Argentinean Olympic Committee, said:
“It is great to see so many people of all ages in Buenos Aires participate in this Olympic Day festival of sport and culture. It is a wonderful celebration of the IOC and the spirit of Olympism.

“Olympic Day is a very special occasion for the citizens of Buenos Aires and Argentina. When the IOC was formed in June 1894, there were thirteen founding members. It makes us very proud that one of those original members was an Argentine, José Zubiaur.

“We are deeply honoured to have these historic links to the foundation of the IOC and the modern Olympic Movement, and this means important Olympic values are embedded into our culture and they still guide us today.”

Francisco Irarrazaval, Buenos Aires Under-Secretary of Sport and Chief Executive of the Buenos Aires 2018 Bid Committee, said:
“With our bid for the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, we can achieve something remarkable and we feel this is the right time for Buenos Aires, Argentina and the Olympic Movement to join together and strengthen the Olympic cause in South America.

“Buenos Aires believes in the Youth Olympic Games, its values and principles, and the inspirational energy of sport to empower the youth. We are honoured to bid for the YOG because we want it to thrive – creating wonderful opportunities to expand Olympic ideals to millions more young people around the world.”