Turkish athlete wins bronze in Youth Olympics

By Fatih Erel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish athlete Mehmet Celik won bronze medal in the ongoing Youth Olympic Games in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires.

Celik captured the bronze medal in men's 800-meters on Monday, the ninth day of the Youth Olympics, which has begun on Oct. 6 for the third time and will run through Oct. 18.

Singapore hosted the first ever Youth Olympic Games in 2010, while the second edition of the international multi-sport event was held in China in 2014.

Featuring some 4,000 athletes, the event will see the competition of the youth aged between 15-18 in 32 sports and 36 disciplines for 1,250 medals.

New sports such as breaking, sport climbing, futsal, roller sports, and karate will premiere in Buenos Aires before joining the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, along with new disciplines and events such as BMX freestyle, kiteboarding, beach handball, and acrobatic gymnastics.

For the first time in Olympic history, the Youth Olympics will also set a precedent for gender equality with an equal number of female and male athletes.