Oboh, Thompson ready to rumble as Argentina 2018 Youth Olympics begins

Nigeria’s Georgia Oboh and Jordan Thompson are set to begin their campaign in the golf event of the Argentina 2018 Youth Olympic Games, which begins tomorrow in Buenos Aires.

Oboh and Thompson were among the first set of players to arrive in Argentina, as they wanted to acclimatise with the weather and also acquaint themselves with the golf course.

17-year-old Oboh flew from United States where she has been competing in tournaments while 15-year-old United Kingdom (U.K.)-based Jordan Thompson joined up with her teammates from his London base.

The pair arrived in Argentina on October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day, with high hopes of contributing to a good month for their country. Oboh said she is aiming to give her best to get the best.

The golf event expected to tee off on October 9 at the Hurlingham Club in Buenos Aires with 64 players from 32 countries competing for honours in three events (boys, girls and mixed doubles).

An excited Oboh said she is eager to enter the golf course. “I am so excited arriving in Argentina for the tournament.

It is a dream comes true for me representing Nigeria in such tournament and I will surely give my best with the hope of making the podium in Argentina.

I am looking forward to compete with the best junior players in the world and it promises to be exciting as the atmosphere is friendly and conducive for athletes to do well,” she said.

Already, Oboh and Thompson had their first training session on Monday while expecting the rest of the Nigerian contingent in Buenos Aires.

For the golf event, hosts, Argentina was given a team to compete and a further five teams of two athletes was decided by the Tripartite Commission.

The remaining 26 teams were decided by adding the ranking place of the top ranked eligible male and female golfers on the World Amateur Golf Rankings released on July 25 2018.

The 26 NOCs with the lowest combined rankings qualified. All athletes must be amateur golfers, who hold a recognised handicap index not exceeding 6.4.

Nigeria received a quota of two athletes to compete by the tripartite committee with Thompson competing in the boys’ individual, while Oboh will battle for honours in the girls’ individual. The duo will partner for the mixed event.

Meanwhile, the organisers have announced that the official app for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 is now available for iOS and Android.

It offers Youth Olympic Games fans a wide variety of innovative features, which will allow users to personalise their experiences and participate in educational challenges.

Starting today, the app will provide a fun experience for users: a series of interactive trivia games so that sports fans can learn about the history of the Olympic Movement.