Olympic Day

Baron Pierre de Coubertin brought together various parties involved in international sport at the Sorbonne University in Paris on 23 June 1894 with the intention of reviving the Olympic Games. He succeeded and the Games, abandoned since antiquity, at last took their modern form in their birthplace of Greece with the Athens Olympic Games in 1896.

The IOC and the spirit of sharing

The IOC chose to commemorate the founding of the modern Olympic Games by launching the first edition of Olympic Day in 1948. Since the creation of the Sport for All Commission by the IOC in 1983, the event has been based on three pillars: “Move”, “Learn”, and “Discover.” The date of 23 June has therefore become a symbol of sports and Olympism. It was, for example, the day that Paris 2024 announced its bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games back in 2015.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Day

Paris 2024 has been working to promote these three pillars since 2017, teaming up with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee and the French Ministry of Sport in 2019 to hold a joint celebration.

Olympic Day marked a turning point in the Paris 2024 Olympic bid in 2017, summed up by the image of parties in the streets of Paris and on the banks of the Seine. The striking image of a floating athletics track in Paris’ famous river travelled all over the world.

In 2019, Olympic Day marked a new step in the public’s involvement in the Paris 2024 adventure. At the end of 12 races held all over France, 46 lucky runners won tickets to take part in the Marathon for All at the Paris 2024 Games. In Paris, the race went past the obelisk at Place de la Concorde, opening a huge party that transformed the famous square into an urban sports venue in the heart of Paris. Fans of all ages rubbed shoulders with athletes, getting acquainted with over 30 different Olympic and Paralympic sports and watching spectacular sporting demonstrations.

Events all over France

Olympic Day has continued to grow in France since 2019 thanks to the introduction of Fête du Sport, a celebration of sport established by the French Ministry of Sport as part of a collective movement to promote involvement in sport and Olympic values. In 2019, over 700 projects were carried out in every department of mainland France and French overseas territories, reflecting how the Games will be shared throughout the country. Members of the public met athletes from their local regions and got acquainted with Olympic and Paralympic sports. The events, therefore, contributed significantly to the Paris 2024 objective of increasing the reach of sport in the daily lives of French people.