International Olympic Day – 23rd June 2020
Olympics is not just sports, its a celebration of life.
Olympics is a leading international sports events featuring summer and winter sports competitions. Thousands of athletes from around the world take part in a variety of competitions. The creation of the modern-day Olympic games is inspired by the ancient Olympic games, which were held in Olympia, Greece from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in the year 1896.
The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. In an effort to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability, International Olympic Day was introduced in the year 1948. International Olympic Day is celebrated on 23rd June annually to commemorate the birth of Modern Olympic games.
International Olympic Day 2020 – History
During the 41st Session of the International Olympic Committee in Stockholm, the year 1947, Doctor Gruss, International Olympic Committee member in Czechoslovakia presented a report about the celebration of Olympic Day. The initial design was to promote the Olympic idea and encourage more and more participation. The project was adopted one year later on the occasion of the 42nd IOC Session in St. Moritz in January 1948.
The National Olympic committee was on charge of organizing the events for this day and asked to choose a date in between 17th and 24th June. It was finally decided by the organizing committee that the International Olympic Day will be celebrated on 23rd June annually, thereby honouring the foundation of the International Olympic Committee at the Sorbonne, Paris. On this day Pierre de Coubertin obtained the revival of the Olympic games.
The first Olympic Day was celebrated on 23rd June in the year 1948. On this occasion, Sigfrid Edstrom, President of International Olympic Committee at that time conveyed a speech to the young people all over the world, encouraging as much participation as possible.
Olympic Games
Olympic games comprise of a variety of sports events organized. This is a significant sports event that is internationally celebrated. Modern-day Olympics consists of both Summer and Winter games. This event is held once every four years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games every two years. There is also a Para – Olympics for the, especially aided people. There is also the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged between 14 to 18 years.
Significance of World Olympic Day
The significance of International Olympic Day is to encourage more people to participate in the Olympic games, to spread awareness about the number of sporting events held during this event. In the 1978 edition of the Olympic charter, the International Olympic Committee recommended that all NOC’s organize an Olympic day every year and promote the Olympic Movement.
What is Olympic Day Run?
Over the last 20 years, Olympic Day has been associated with Olympic Day run all over the world. Olympic Day Run is a movement activity organized worldwide, promoting mass participation of sports held in June. Run is organized by the International Olympic Committee.
Olympic games were not held in the year 1940 and 1944 due to World war II. The city of London rose to host the Run after World war II. In the year 1987, to encourage all NOC’s to commemorate and celebrate Olympic day the IOC sport for All commission launched the Olympic day Run. The objective of Run is promoting participation in sports by men, women and children from all corners of the world regardless of athletic ability.
The first Run was held in the year 1987, over a distance of 10 km with 45 NOC’s participating in the Run. By the year 2006, there were about 161 National Olympic Committees promoting this Run to their county men. The Olympic day Run is held between 17th to 24th June by the National Olympic Committees. There is a 1.5 km fun run that gets organized.
World Olympic Day is not confined only to sports activities. It is a serious international effort to promote fitness and well – being in addition to Olympic ideals of Fair play, Solidarity, Respect and Sportsmanship across the globe.
World Olympic Day is based on the three pillars Move, Learn and Discover. NOC’s are deploying sports, cultural and educational activities which address everybody regardless of age, gender, social background or sporting ability. In some countries, the event is incorporated into the school curriculum. Many NOC’s have added Concerts and Exhibitions as a part of the Olympic day in recent years.
There are many more initiatives taken by the NOC’s in recent times.
- They are organizing for children and young people to meet and learn from the top athletes.
- There is a website developed to guide people to the programmes in their neighbourhood.
- The development of Social media has also helped IOC boost participation beyond National Olympic Committee activities.
India has been an active participant in the Olympics for many years. India first participated in the Olympics in the year 1900. Though there has been participation from many years, India had not managed to receive a decent medal tally until recent times. In recent years India has left its mark in the Olympic. NOC in India also organizes for the Olympic day run every year and encourages more people to take part in the sporting events.
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