Olympians all over the world celebrate Olympic Day

23 | 6 | 2014

National Olympian Associations and their member Olympians across the world have been holding special celebrations today to mark Olympic Day.

Olympic Day is a global celebration of the founding of the International Olympic Committee and the modern Olympic Movement by Pierre de Coubertain in 1894.

The WOA is delighted to be able to help NOAs and Olympians mark Olympic Day so they can host special events, activities and festivals and ensure that the positive values of the Olympic Movement, excellence, friendship and respect, are promoted. This 120^th anniversary today will see also National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations from across five continents join Olympians to encourage young and old alike to get involved in sport, cultural and educational activities. The day emphasises the place sport has in society and how sport can assist communities to foster social cohesion and tolerance in order to achieve goodwill.

The three pillars of Olympic Day are move, learn and discover. Through these messages, sports organisations today are promoting the benefits of physical exercise, inspiring people to get active and enabling them to discover new sports while embracing the Olympic ideals regardless of ability or background.

Olympic Day events being held today with the support of Olympians include a multi-sports demonstration and a 5km run in Portugal with legendary Olympic Marathon Gold Medallist Rosa Mota and an Olympic Day ceremony with athletes and children in Fiji with celebrated five-time Olympian Carl Probert. Another Olympic Day highlight involves Australian Olympians, as part of the Australian Olympic Committee’s Education Programme, visiting schools around the country to promote Olympic values and share their experiences of how sport has changed their lives. 

An interactive map showing where these and the hundreds of other events being staged around the world are can be found here. 

Throughout the international celebration today members of the public are invited to capture highlights from their involvement in Olympic Day events by sharing photos on social media under the hashtag #OlympicDay. The IOC’s promotional video for Olympic Day here, features a number of Olympic champions taking part in sports other than those they are famous for.