Canadian Olympic Committee – – TORONTO (October 18, 2018) – On Thursday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced that 15-year old gymnast Emma Spence has been selected as Team Canada’s Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 Closing Ceremony flag bearer.

Spence, from Cambridge, Ontario, will lead a team of 72 athletes who represented Team Canada in 20 sports and celebrated a total of 11 medals. The Closing Ceremony is scheduled to be held tonight at 7:20 pm local time at the Youth Olympic Village.

Spence won bronze in women’s vault for Team Canada’s first ever medal in artistic gymnastics at the Youth Olympic Games. Her averaged score of 13.483 after two vaults in the final launched her to the podium behind Giorgia Villa of Italy (14.233) and Csenge Maria Bacskay of Hungary (13.933). In addition to her medal performance, she displayed tremendous team engagement and spirit, and actively participated in educational programs promoting Olympism and its values – an integral element of the Youth Olympic Games.

Canada’s flag bearer was selected by Bruny Surin, Team Canada’s Chef de Mission, and COC Executive Director, Games and International Relations, Andrew Baker.

Here are Canada’s Buenos Aires 2018 medallists (in order of medals won):

NAME	HOMETOWN	SPORT/DISCIPLINE	MEDAL
Keagan Young	Markham, ON	Judo/Men’s -81kg	Bronze
Emma Misak	Surrey, BC	DanceSport/Breaking B-Girls	Silver
Finlay Knox	Okotoks, AB	Swimming/Men’s 200m Individual Medley	Bronze
Madison Broad	Wallaceburg, ON	Swimming/Women’s 200m Backstroke	Silver
Ethan McClymont	Winnipeg, MB	Taekwondo/Men’s 73kg	Bronze
Alexander Milanovich	Toronto, ON	Swimming/Men’s 50m Breaststroke	Bronze
Rachel Krapman	Thornhill, ON	Judo/Mixed Team	Bronze
Brian Yang	Toronto, ON	Badminton/Mixed Team	Gold
Emma Spence	Cambridge, ON	Artistic Gymnastics/Women’s Vault	Bronze
Felix Dolci	Laval, QC	Artistic Gymnastics/Men’s Rings	Silver
Women’s Team	—	Rugby Sevens/Women’s	Bronze

Buenos Aires 2018 was the first ever Olympic competition to feature total gender equality, hosting 1999 male and female athletes from 206 countries. 

The Youth Olympic Games is an international, multi-sport event for young athletes aged 15-18 with an educative and cultural nature that aims to foster the Olympic values in youth.

QUOTES:

“I am beyond excited and honoured to be the flag bearer for this amazing Canadian team which I have been proud to represent. The Youth Olympic Games have been so exciting and fun, and this is the best way to end this experience!”

– Emma Spence, Buenos Aires 2018 Team Canada Closing Ceremony flag bearer

“Congratulations to all of the Team Canada athletes, coaches, staff, and parents who made this outstanding performance in Buenos Aires possible. Seeing the successes of the next generation of Canadian Olympians first hand fills me with hope for the future of the Canadian sport community. I look forward to all of their future successes representing Canada!”

– Bruny Surin, Buenos Aires 2018 Team Canada Chef de Mission

“Emma reflects everything that the Youth Olympic Games represent and we are so incredibly proud to have her carry Canada’s flag at the Closing Ceremony in Buenos Aires. Congratulations to all of the athletes, coaches, our Chef de Mission Bruny Surin and all the Mission Team staff for a tremendous Games. Our country is in great shape with the next generation of Olympians.”

–Tricia Smith, President, Canadian Olympic Committee

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Josh Su, Specialist, Public Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
c: 647-464-4060
e: jsu@olympic.ca

Photi Sotiropoulos, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
t: 416-324-4298 / c: 416-476-9174
e: psotiropoulos@olympic.ca

Julie Forget, Director, Communications and Marketing
Gymnastics Canada
t: 613-748-5647 x 233 / c: 819-210-2064
e: jforget@gymncan