Birthday party fun at media center

At a birthday party for athletes and staff at the Games, several took the ALS ice-bucket challenge. PHOTO BY ZHENG XIN / CHINA DAILY

Athletes, media workers and staff whose birthdays fall during the Nanjing Games celebrated their birthdays like never before at the Main Media Center on Thursday night.

More than 130 people were treated to live music performances, dances, snacks and the ice bucket challenge and also won prizes and gifts.

"It's once in a blue moon that I could celebrate my birthday during the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games," said Xiang Jiabo, a javelin thrower from Taizhou, Jiangsu province, who turned 17 on Aug 15.

"The dances and selfies with the other athletes from home and abroad were so much fun. The birthday party was a once in a lifetime experience."

"We didn't expect anything like this," said Juan Canadell, a senior host broadcaster, who celebrated his birthday on Aug 14.

"Each of us had birthdays during the Nanjing Games and we organized small, private parties with our colleagues and this is just fantastic."

Diosdado Estandarte, a cameraman for TV5 television from the Philippines, said this was his first time in China and everything was "spectacular".

The Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee also came up with the stand-out event of the evening, the ALS ice-bucket challenge.

Two mascots, or Lele, took the challenge first, followed by many athletes, media workers and staff.