Embracing Olympic Day 2023: Global Participation and Celebration

Olympic Day just keeps on getting bigger.

The first annual Olympic Day was held on 23 June 1948 with nine National Olympic Committees (NOCs) hosting events on the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) creation in 1894.

Exactly 75 years later, there will be 130 NOCs across five continents marking the occasion with around five million people expected to take part.

This worldwide celebration of the Olympic spirit sees millions embrace the core Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect through the Olympic day theme of #LetsMove.

Find out more about Olympic Day and how you can get involved.

Global Participation: Olympic Day 2023 Across Continents

From Asia to America, 130 NOCs are hosting Olympic Day celebrations in their territories.

Some have already started with the likes of Panama, Romania and Tajikistan hosting a number of events in May and all the way up to Olympic Day itself.

At least 70 NOCs are integrating promotion of future Olympic Games into their local celebrations including, of course, the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Senegal will be promoting the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, held over from 2022 due to the global pandemic.

Meanwhile, Australia is already looking ahead to the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032 with a host of 'Have A Go' activities featuring Olympic sports and hosted by Olympians.

The theme of Olympic Day this year is 'Let's Move' which aims to inspire people around the world to make time for daily physical activity.

While the world is moving faster than ever, people are moving less with research showing over 80 per cent of young people fail to reach the daily activity level recommended for optimum mental and physical health.

This 23 June is the start of a new global movement to make time to move.

Olympic Day: Let's inspire each other to move, one step at a time.

"On Olympic Day, we celebrate the Olympic Movement's mission to make the world a better place through sport," said IOC President Thomas Bach. "When we do sport, it keeps our mind and body strong and healthy. When we do sport, it inspires us to always give it our best and it makes us dream, it spreads joy and brings us together. This year, together with the WHO, we are highlightinG the positive impacts sport has on both physical and mental health. We want to inspire the world to move more every day. Sport and physical activity are the low-cost, high-0impact tool for healthy bodies and healthy minds and resilient communities."

Anticipating Record-breaking Participation: Olympic Day 2023

This year, around five million individuals worldwide are expected to mark Olympic Day.

While there will be significant diversity among events and surroundings, the majority will be held inside sports complexes and schools as well as in the streets.

The main topics of these activities will be Solidarity, Inclusion and Sustainability.

Olympic Day will also witness cooperation between nations with Thailand and Laos celebrating together at the second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (Mukdahan-Savannakhet) on 24 June.

There will also be the opportunity to try out new sports with Hungary, Mongolia and Senegal all holding workships in breaking which is making its Games debut at Paris 2024.

From the start of June, Italy has been holding online workouts with Olympians and elite athletes.

People's Republic of China's celebrations, taking place in 10 cities, also began on 1 June with those activities linked to an online challenge comprising five events to get active.

The Olympic Day Run: A Global Tradition

Launched in 1987, the Olympic Day Run was held over a distance of 10km with 45 NOCs taking part.

In 2023, 81 NOCs will stage their own versions of the Olympic Day Run, many of which have diverged somewhat from the original format.

The National Park of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, will stage a number of runs of between three and five kilometres depending on age.

In Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, the distance is just two kilometres but the 'GLOW 2K' will see runners wear glow-in-the-dark wristbands for the late evening event.

In Cyprus, it is a children's only event with those under 13 running one kilometre, and those 13 and over running five kilometres.

And in Norway, the Olympic Day run for children will be held in the main street of Lillehammer which staged the 1994 Olympic Winter Games and 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Involvement of Olympians and Emphasis on Core Themes

One of the main attractions of Olympic Day is the chance to meet athletes, past and present, who have competed at the Olympic Games.

Over 80 NOCs are offering that opportunity this year, enabling participants to connect directly with their sporting heroes in activities highlighting the key themes of Solidarity, Inclusion and Sustainability which form the bedrock of the Olympic Movement.

In Azerbaijan, for example, there will be discussions with active Olympians on topics such as Olympic values, anti-doping, gender equality and training.

Australia is holding 'Discovery activities' with Olympians and athletes but ensuring their carbon footprint is minimised in line with the Australian Olympic Committee Climate Action plan, while tree planting will be among the activities in Eswatini, Kenya and Sri Lanka.

In Dominica, a pin mural will be created using old and extra pins left over from previous Games.

Germany is one of several countries where special emphasis has been given to people with disabilities with Paralympic athletes giving talks and children encouraged to discover Paralympic sports.

Rwanda is planning a series of Mini-Olympic Games before and on Olympic Day itself featuring relay races and an old Olympic sport - tug of war - with the hope of inviting young people to "come together for a peaceful world".

And in Türkiye, the Turkish Olympic Committee is showing solidarity with survivors of February's devastating earthquake by inviting them to their Olympic Day celebrations.

The Global Significance of Olympic Day 2023

Around the world, people will be coming together to celebrate Olympic Day and those cherished Olympic values which are more important than ever given the very real threats of war and climate change.

And with individuals seemingly more polarised than ever when it comes to inclusion and diversity, it offers an opportunity to share experiences and find common ground.

For some, especially children, Olympic Day will represent an introduction to a new hobby or pastime or perhaps even the start of a sporting career. For others, it is a chance to make friends for life.

And if you are unable to make an event in person, you can celebrate Olympic Day with us here at Olympics.com.