TheParque Olímpico de la Juventud, formerParque Polideportivo Roca, is a large park with sports facilities in southernBuenos Aires,Argentina. Located inVilla Soldati, by theRiachuelo, it was opened in 1979 byOsvaldo Cacciatore,de factoMayor of Buenos Aires during theNational Reorganization Process military dictatorship.
In 1840Juan Manuel de Rosas,Governor of Buenos Aires Province, ceded this land to a man surnamed Lucero, who planted eucalyptus, pine trees, pear trees and quince trees, and installed a water mill. The property was known then as the Quinta del Molina,Mill's Country House. After Mr. Lucero died the property was abandoned and occupied by poor families. By 1930 this area became a dumpsite.
During the 1940s three artificial lakes were constructed on this area to compensate floods and overflows of theRiachuelo: the Lugano Lake, located within the Roca Park; the Regatas Lake, located within theAutódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez; and the Soldati Lake, located next toParque Indoamericano.
On November 15, 1978, during the administration of the appointed MayorOsvaldo Cacciatore, the "Soldati dumpsite" was closed, and the following year the Government opened the Parque Polideportivo Julio A. Roca, named afterJulio Argentino Roca, two times President of Argentina.[1]
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In September 2006,Jorge Telerman,Chief of Government of Buenos Aires, inaugurated theRoca Park Tennis Stadium, that hosted the2006 Davis Cup World Group semifinal betweenArgentina andAustralia only three days after the official opening. That same year Roca Park hosted thearchery and tennis events for the2006 South American Games.
It was confirmed in 2014 that Roca Park will be one of the main venues for the2018 Summer Youth Olympics, hosting theathletics,tennis,archery, swimming and diving events. Parque Roca will be part of theOlympic Park, that will also include thePredio Ferial Olímpico, and will be the site of theMain Media Center (MMC) and theYouth Olympic Village (YOV), from where 65 percent of the athletes will be able to walk to their competition venues.[2]
Before theYOG Parque Roca will host the 2017Youth World Archery Championships, being the first World Archery event ever awarded to Argentina.[3]
In 2015 it was announced that the area surrounding the Lugano Lake will become a 40 hectares natural reserve, the third natural reserve in Buenos Aires. More than 20 different butterfly species and 118 bird species have been found in this area, and also other animals such asside-necked turtles,tegus,coypus andguinea pigs.[4]
This park is the largest sport complex in Buenos Aires, with an area of 200 hectares (494 acres).[5] It is surrounded by the Cámpora Highway (es), and the avenues Coronel Roca (es), 27 de Febrero (es) andAvenida Escalada, and is divided by the Cildañez Creek that flows into theRiachuelo. The artificial Lugano Lake is also located within the limits of the park.The sports complex includes:[6]
For the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics a newaquatics complex was built.
Since 2008 theGovernment of the City of Buenos Aires has installed an artificial beach every summer at the park and organizes recreational activities during the summer season.[7]
The park can be reached byPremetro tram atCecilia Grierson station, or by the southernMetrobus line.
The park was fully renovated before the2018 Summer Youth Olympics in order to be used as mainOlympic Park. Six pavilions were built: Asia Pavilion (judo and wrestling), Africa Pavilion (fencing and modern pentathlon), Europe Pavilion (karate and weightlifting), Oceania Pavilion (boxing and taekwondo), America Pavilion (gymnastics) and natatorium. The complex also includes hockey and athletics field.
