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Countdown to Olympic Day – 4 days to go!

19 | 6 | 2014

Rosa Mota, Olympic Gold Medallist in the Marathon at Seoul in 1988 and President of the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP), and Nuno Delgado, Bronze Medallist in Judo at Sydney in 2000, will accompany local children when they kick off Olympic Day commemorations in Portugal on Monday with a demonstration of 11 Olympic sports including, Handball, Athletics, Basketball, Boccia, Fencing, Gymnastics, Golf, Judo, Table Tennis, Archery and Volleyball.

Following the demonstrations, the youngsters will take part in a 5km run – a global Olympic Day tradition – at the end of which a torch will be lit symbolising the embodiment of the Olympic spirit throughout the country.

As part of the celebrations, the Portuguese Olympic Committee will also be awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) in Vila Real in Northern Portugal where the planned Olympic Day celebrations will take place.

The award from UTAD seeks to recognise the services the COP provides to the country’s sporting activities including its role as champions of the Olympic ideals within Portuguese society. Portuguese Olympic champions; Carlos Lopes (Marathon, Los Angeles 1984); Rosa Mota (Marathon, Seoul 1988); Fernanda Ribeiro (10,000m Atlanta 1996) and Nelson Évora (Triple Jump, Beijing 2008), will also be commended for their services to Olympism.

Olympic Day is a world-wide celebration of the Olympic Movement where NOCs from across the globe stage events to mark the foundation of the modern Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertain in 1894. The focus of the day is on spreading the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship and respect through sport and education.

You can find out more about Olympic Day and the other events happening around the world here.