The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has launched the next iteration of its ongoing initiative aimed at inspiring and supporting people to move more as Olympic Day (23rd June) is celebrated across the globe.
“Let’s Move?” shines a light on the benefits of playing sport and working out together, celebrating all the inspiration, connection and enjoyment this brings, and is the theme of this year’s Olympic Day.
Participating in group physical activities can help people start moving and keep going. Through shared goals, encouragement and fun – an important factor for many young people to play sport – sport is more than just moving. It is also an opportunity to spend time with others, connect and build community. This can create a sense of belonging and help fight loneliness – something the WHO has identified as a growing concern for people’s health – and support mental well-being.
“Some of the most powerful moments in sport happen outside competition. They happen when a teammate joins you on the days you don’t feel like training, when you work together to reach your goals – it’s in the shared effort, the mutual support, the community you build along the way,” says new IOC president Kirsty Coventry.
Olympic Day is celebrated every year on 23rd June to mark the birth of the modern Olympic Games. It is a day to celebrate sports, fitness, and the spirit of peace and unity. It is also a day to remember the revival of the Olympics, which was interrupted by World War II in 1940 and 1944.
The reason why 23rd June was chosen is that it was on this day in 1894 that the IOC was founded and the modern Olympic Games were started in Paris by Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator and historian. This moment laid the foundation of the Olympic Movement and the first modern Olympics were held in Athens in 1896.
