World Olympic Day or International Olympic Day is celebrated every year on 23rd June. Across the globe, people come together in this celebration of health, sports, and universal brotherhood. International Olympic Day 2022 has as its theme ‘Together, For a Peaceful World.’
History behind celebration of June 23 as World Olympic Day:
Why do we celebrate 23rd June as World Olympic Day every year? At the International Olympic Committee’s 41st session in Stockholm, Sweden, Doctor Gruss, a member of the committee, suggested the observation of Olympic Day. The noble cause behind this idea was to create awareness and encourage more people to participate in the Olympic Games. In 1948 in St. Moriz, at IOC’s 42nd session, the suggestion was implemented.
June 23 was chosen as International Olympic Day in memory of the establishment of IOC on 23rd June, 1894 at Sorbonne, Paris with the revival of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin. So, the first ever Global Olympic Day celebration took place in 1984 under the guardianship of the then IOC president, Sigfrid Edstrom. As June 23 is a special day in the history of the worldwide Olympic Movement, this day is observed as World Olympic Day to glorify the harmony and health aspects related to sports.
Theme of International Olympic Day 2022:
The theme for this year’s World Olympic Day is a unique one: “Together, For a Peaceful World.” The social media hashtags for the day are #OlympicDay and #MoveForPeace. International Olympic Day 2022 focuses on the positive impact that sports can have to make the world a better, kinder place for all to live in peace and harmony. the power of sports in brining the world together by diminishing the differences.
Significance of International Olympic Day:
The World Olympic Day highlights the key values of Olympics (Friendship, Respect, and Excellence) and urges people to inculcate these values in their personal and professional lives. The International and National Olympic Committees organize a variety of educational, cultural and sports activities to observe the day in a meaningful way. It is celebrated in 150 countries through Olympic Day runs and other exciting events. A few countries have included the day in the school curriculums to motivate all children to engage in sports, irrespective of social background, age and gender.
While in the 1987 edition, the number of participating NOCs was 42, currently it has exceeded 100. In case you participate in any activity designed to use sports to spread peace, don’t forget to tag @Olympics on the social networking sites along with the hashtags #OlympicDay and #MoveForPeace.
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