Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris. The goal was to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.
Olympic Day is celebrated all around the world: hundreds of thousands of people – young and old – participate in sports activities, such as runs, exhibitions, music and educational seminars.
Olympic Day is nowadays developing into much more than just a sports event. Based on the three pillars “move”, “learn” and “discover”, National Olympic Committees are deploying sports, cultural and educational activities. Some countries have incorporated the event into the school curriculum and, in recent years, many NOCs have added concerts and exhibitions to the celebration.
Commemorating the birth of the modern Olympic Games, Olympic Day is not only a celebration, but an international effort to promote fitness and well-being in addition to the Olympic ideals of Fair Play, Perseverance, Respect and Sportsmanship.
This year, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 emergency, the Olympic Day is being celebrated across the globe, online. Olympic Day 2020 will see Olympians, athletes and fans all over the globe get active in the world’s largest 24-hour digital Olympic workout.
On this unique occasion, AHF President Dato Fumio Ogura had this to say:
“The spirit of the Olympic Day is strong this year, even despite the hurdles the world is facing in the form of the pandemic. Let’s unite together in the spirit of sport this year on Olympic Day and make it one to be remembered for the ages! In order to fight COVID-19 we must stay strong and we must stay active. This is the perfect opportunity to achieve these aims so let’s give it our best shot!”
AHF Chief Executive, Dato Tayyab Ikram, added:
“The Olympic Day is a celebration of the spirit of sport that has been with us since the early days. This Olympic Day, let’s keep our morale high and celebrate in the face of adversity. I urge all sports enthusiasts to take part in the Online Olympic Day Workout, to stay safe and healthy.”