International Olympic Day is a celebration of sport, health, and being together. It invites everyone around the globe to be active and move together with purpose on 23 June every year. The day commemorates the foundation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. It also highlights the idea of the Olympics and spreads the message of sports being an integral part of a healthy and fit life.
The concept of the modern-day Olympic Games came from the ancient Olympic Games held in Greece’s Olympia from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE. The IOC was founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, who had started the modern Olympic Games to inspire people across the globe to be their best selves.
International Olympic Day 2022: Theme
The theme for this year’s International Olympic Day denotes ‘Together for a peaceful world’. The theme celebrates the power of sports to bring people together and to contribute to a world full of solidarity and peace.
International Olympic Day 2022: History
The idea of celebrating a World Olympic Day was introduced by Doctor Gruss, who was a Czech International Olympic Committee member. In 1947, he presented a report during the 41st Session of the International Olympic Committee in Stockholm, which proposed to mark World Olympic Day. The proposal got adopted one year later in 1948 during the 42nd International Olympic Committee Session in St Moritz. Then the committee was asked to choose a date between 17 and 24 June. Finally, the committee decided to honour the IOC’s foundation date as International Olympic Day.
The inaugural Olympic day was observed on 23 June 1948 in several countries such as Greece, Canada, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Belgium. Jacques Rogge, the IOC President at the time appealed to youngsters to make sports a part of their lives.
International Olympic Day 2022: Significance
The National Olympic Committees all over the globe mark the day to encourage people to participate more in sports regardless of gender, age, and social background. The Olympic movement is based on three pillars- move, learn and discover. The main motto behind celebrating the day is to spread awareness about staying healthy, strong and active. Nowadays, several institutions and non-governmental organisations celebrate the day by organising sporting events and inviting people to take part in any kind of game.
