Olympic Youth Games team released

Four English boxers have been selected to compete at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

The British Olympic Association has today announced the 42 athletes selected to represent Team GB at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

The team consists of athletes aged between 14 and 18 years old, with the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) playing a crucial role in the development of young athletes from the United Kingdom and across the world.

The Youth Olympic Games provides crucial multi-sport experience for aspiring Olympians and Team GB’s class of 2018 will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Tom Daley, Jade Jones and Duncan Scott who all went on to win medals at an Olympic Games having first competed at a YOG.

Buenos Aires 2018 is expected to welcome just under 4,000 of the world’s best young athletes from 206 nations for the third edition of the Games following Singapore 2010 and Nanjing 2014.

The Games will also make history through its commitment to gender equality by becoming the first Olympic event to host the same number of male and female athletes with 1,999 of each set to compete in Argentina.

Mahdi Choudhury, Team GB’s Chef de Mission for Buenos Aires 2018 said: “Being selected to Team GB for a Youth Olympic Games is a fantastic achievement and our 42 young athletes should be hugely proud to be heading out to Argentina next month.

“Buenos Aires 2018 will offer a fantastic opportunity for our team to experience a multi-sport event for the first time and I’m sure it will act as a great springboard for their own senior Olympic dreams.

“Youth Olympic Games such as Buenos Aires offer the chance for young athletes to experience life in an Olympic Village, mix with competitors from different sports and nationalities, and are given the chance to grow as individuals as well as athletes.

“These events have helped shape the careers of Team GB Olympic stars such as Jade Jones and Tom Daley and we hope the same will be said for this group of young stars.”

Boxing

Ivan Hope-Price, aged 18, from Leeds, Yorkshire

Hassan Azim, aged 17, from Slough, Berkshire

Karol Itauma, aged 17, from Chatham, Kent

Caroline Dubois, aged 17, from Chelsea London

Caroline Dubois who will compete in the 60kg weight category commented on her selection saying “It feels absolutely amazing, I am over the moon and can’t wait to show what I can do on such a gigantic stage.”

64kg boxer Hassan Azim said “I am over the moon.  My Olympic dream has come true.  It is every amateur boxers dream to one day compete in the Olympics.  I cannot believe it.  I have only just gotten the news, there were talks about my selection but it was never guaranteed.  But coming number 2 in Europe has pushed my selection.  I always wanted to compete in the Olympics and this is just a dress rehearsal to the bigger Olympics.  I don’t have long to prepare but I will be ready.  This is once in a lifetime opportunity and I will work hard to achieve a medal, preferably Gold.

The Games, will run from the 6th – 18th October and will see Team GB compete in 17 of the 32 sports on the programme across 12 days of competition.