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It’s official! Javier Mascherano is joining the Buenos Aires 2018 team
Buenos Aires – June 14. Buenos Aires 2018 has a new player on its team of ambassadors. It’s Javier Mascherano, one of the most renowned football players on the planet.
Mascherano, who will soon play his fourth FIFA World Cup with the Argentine side, was selected by the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee to be a national ambassador at the biggest multisport celebration in Argentina’s history.
“It’s an enormous honour that they have selected me as an ambassador for the first Youth Olympic Games to be held in my country. I’ll try to share my experience and the value of sport as part of their personal growth and as athletes”, said Mascherano.
Mascherano, chosen by the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee, will join South Africa’s Chad Le Clos, a multiple medal winner in Olympic swimming; Luis Scola, an Argentine basketball Olympic champion; and Luciana Aymar, an Argentine field hockey legend and four-time Olympic medallist, in supporting the YOG both locally and internationally.
With an extensive career including contracts with world famous clubs such as River Plate (the club where he made his Argentine football debut) in addition to others such as Liverpool in England, and FC Barcelona in Spain, Mascherano is known throughout the world for his leadership abilities both on and off the pitch.
He has made 143 appearances with the Argentine jersey, making him the most capped player in the country’s history.
Just ahead of his fourth World Cup and having played in all the Argentine youth categories, Mascherano has left his mark on Argentina’s history of Olympic sport as a national team protagonist.
With his triumphs at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, he is tied with Juan Nelson – a polo player who won gold with Argentina at Paris 1924 and Berlin 1936 – as the only Argentine athlete to win the gold medal on two occasions.
“To the young athletes who are going to participate in Buenos Aires 2018, I encourage them to live this experience to the maximum. It’s really interesting to get know other athletes and also those from other countries. That’s what they Olympic Games are about”, added Mascherano.
The ambassadors are chosen by the IOC and the local organiser for each edition of the Youth Olympic Games. The objective is to motivate the young athletes and local youth to adopt an active lifestyle through the practice of sport by sharing their inspirational experiences their careers in sport have given them. Past ambassadors include sport legends such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Yelena Isinbayeva, Michelle Wie and Yao Ming.
Photos: Pablo Elías – Buenos Aires 2018
Source: IOC Media. IBG NEWS is one of the official accredited Media for “Youth Olympics 2018”
