The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 got under way on Saturday with an opening ceremony that captivated both the thousands of spectators who gathered around the Argentinian capital’s famous Obelisk and the large viewing audience around the world.

Around 2,000 people took part in the ceremony, which lasted nearly two hours, among them Argentinian sports stars such as basketball player Luis Scola and former tennis player Gabriela Sabatini. Also playing a leading role were the judoka Paula Pareto and yachtsman Santiago Lange, who together lit the Olympic cauldron.

The men’s and women’s Youth Olympic Futsal Tournaments Buenos Aires 2018 will begin on Sunday with eight matches, four in each competition.

Match schedule: Men's | Women's

The show itself was staged by the well-known Argentinian theatre company Fuerza Bruta, whose artistic presentations of the Youth Olympic sports on the Obelisk could be seen by the crowd from any vantage point.

Truly spectacular in nature, the show featured colourful projection mapping on the faces of the Obelisk, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, from the top of which were suspended performing acrobats.