Nayre opens Philippine bid in Youth Olympics

BUENOS AIRES – The Philippine campaign in the third Youth Olympic Games gets going Sunday with Jann Mari Nayre of table tennis facing a doubleheader at the Tecnopolis Center here.

The 18-year-old veteran of the 2017 SEA Games and 2018 Asian Games will be the first to see action among the seven Filipino entries vying in six sports in the YOG.

He will try to provide the spark for Team Philippines.

At 10:45 a.m. (9:45 p.m. Sunday in Manila), Nayre meets 16-year-old Nicolas Ignacio Burgos of Chile at the table tennis arena of the vast exhibition and multi-purpose venue.

Nayre returns to the floor at 6:15 p.m. to face Maciej Kolodziejczyk of Austria, and then at 1:45 p.m. Monday to test Kanak Jha of the US.

Of Nayre’s three opponents, Kanak, 18, has the highest world ranking of No. 73, currently the highest for an American. He’s a veteran of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“I’m here to give my best regardless of whom I’m facing,” said Nayre, hoping to make it to the round-of-16 on Tuesday. He’s ranked 431st in the world.

Also on Monday, kiteboarder Christian Tio will bring his skills to the Club Nautico for five days of competition among the finest young kiteboarders.

On Tuesday, golfers Yuka Saso, the reigning Asian Games champion, and Carl Jano Corpus begin their quest at the 129-year-old Hurlingham Club here in Buenos Aires.

Saso hoisted the Philippine flag during Saturday evening’s spectacular opening ceremony for the 4,012 athletes from 206 countries.

Also on Tuesday, fencer Lawrence Everett Tan makes his YOG debut in the foil event at the Parque Polideportivo Roca. Swimmer Nicole Justine Marie Oliva, who is based in California, competes in the 100m freestyle, one of four events she’s entered in, including the 200m, 400m and 800m free.

Archer Nicole Tagle, the newest pride of Dumaguete, shoots his arrows starting Oct. 12 at the Parque Sarmiento, in the same sport where Gabriel Moreno of the Philippines won a YOG gold in 2014.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri declared the Games open, and after the flame was lit, colorful fireworks danced in the skies for three minutes.

The Obelisco de Buenos Aires, an iconic monument, was the centerpiece of the two-hour extravaganza, with performers rapelling up and down the lighted walls of the 235-foot structure, one carrying the Argentine flag, and the others portraying themselves as YOG athletes.

Thousands more filled the avenue in the first opening ceremony of an Olympic event to be held outside a stadium. From a distance, it resembled the old political rallies of the late Evita Peron.

They danced the tango.

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, delivered a short message for the young athletes.

“You gave your best and this is why you are here. Every athlete is different. We all come from different parts of the world. But we are all united through sports,” he said.

“We are here to celebrate youth,” added the 64-year-old IOC chief, winner of a gold medal in fencing during the 1976 Montreal Olympics.