Initiatives
The aim is here to present a selection of various educational initiatives implemented around the world, with different objectives and audiences. They are inspired by Olympic values and targeted to young people from 5 to 18 years old.
The database provides a collection of case studies that highlight real-life examples of how OVEP is used in various educational settings, and through different approaches. We hope that this will provide valuable insights and inspire other NOCs, educators, policy makers and educational or sport institutions around the world to integrate Olympic values into their own educational contexts.
Current initiatives
All Initiatives
America
ACTIVITIES: Since December 2016, Argentina, through its NOC, is shaping the next generation of athletes and young people through its programmes and initiatives, using two approaches.
- Providing training to teachers and creating teaching material to promote the implementation of the Olympic values in schools.
- Campus 2018 and Campus 2022 are programmes that provide opportunities for select young athletes to develop skills inside and outside the sports arena and potentially succeed at the YOG.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Young athletes and young people aged 6 to 17.
RESOURCES: The Olympic Education Guide, created by the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA):
ACTIVITIES: Launched in 2013, the official Rio 2016 education programme, Transforma, draws on sport and the Olympic values to inspire and educate young people across Brazil.
Through the “Esporte Cria” (Sport Creates) project, almost 300 teenagers aged 14 and 15 from 13 schools in the municipal network in São Paulo benefited from talks by professionals focused on “career opportunities in the field of sports that do not require one to be an athlete or a coach”.
At the COB Expo, an all-sports fair, classes were held for around 200 high school students from eight public schools on Olympic sports linked to subjects such as mathematics, Portuguese and chemistry.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Young people in state and private schools.
Europe
ACTIVITIES: Launched in 2008 as the official educational programme of the Olympic and Paralympic Games London 2012, Get Set is aimed at keeping young people engaged with physical activity through the Olympic and Paralympic values. Through its website, Get Set provides young people, teachers and adults who work with young people with access to opportunities and resources that can be implemented in the classroom, playground and community.
TARGET AUDIENCE: School students aged 5 to 19.
Activities
The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) and the Hellenic Olympic Academy (HOA), with support from Olympic Solidarity, undertook a transformative expansion of the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) across Greece, after having translated the updated OVEP materials in Greek. Over six months, this initiative successfully delivered eight workshops across eight cities, from Corfu to Komotini, reaching and inspiring over 300 educators from diverse fields.
This journey began with the inaugural “Train the Trainers” sessions at the historic sites of Vergina and Pella, symbolic locations in Greece’s rich Olympic heritage. Building on this foundation, six additional workshops strategically spanned key cities, including Corfu, Ioannina, Grevena, Kozani, Serres, and Komotini, ensuring a broad geographical reach. Key authorities from the fields of education and sports were present, including decision-makers in pivotal positions. These authorities expressed their commitment to implementing OVEP at both school and university levels.
These workshops not only celebrated Greece's rich Olympic heritage but also empowered teachers with innovative educational methods to embed the Olympic values into their schools. The programme's impact is profound, with educators serving as multipliers to inspire thousands of students nationwide. The success of this phase has sparked ambitious plans to expand southward, continuing to unify education and sports as a beacon of cultural and social development.
Target Audience: Educators, schools and universities
The Hungarian Olympic Committee has implemented OVEP since 2021. After the translation procedure and preparatory works, two different OVEP pathways were launched in , led by the Hungarian Olympic Committee and professionally supported by the Hungarian University of Sports Sciences.
Activities
From January 2024 school projects were initiated across the country, involving over 225 schools, with 14 OVEP trainings conducted and over 300 teachers trained.
Beside this, Hungary adopted an event-based approach as well, by linking OVEP activities to an Olympic event - 27 schools were selected to participate in OVEP activations integrated to the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS), engaging over 570 students participated, primarily aged 13-17 years old. Supported by all together 54 teachers and volunteers, students explored 13 interactive booths around the venue, focusing on 21st-century skills and addressing challenges within the Olympic Movement.
During European Week of Sport (23–30 September 2024), teachers who had participated in the initial trainings, received school-wide programme proposals to flexibly integrate and adapt OVEP to their own circumstances, reaching approximately 16,000 students. These programs encouraged innovative connections between Olympism and various disciplines, blending movement, fun, and learning. Activities included symbolic runs covering distances from their schools to Paris, Olympic festivals, and discussions on fair play, goals, and role models. Olympians and Paralympians further enriched the initiative by visiting five selected schools, inspiring students through interactive storytelling and hands-on activities.
Target Audience: Educators, teachers and students
ACTIVITIES: Dare to Believe, launched in 2019, is the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s school programme which brings the Olympic Games and the Olympic values to primary and secondary schools around Ireland. Core primary and secondary school Olympic Values programmes (provided with a ready-to-use, five module resource pack, based on the Olympic values), culminating with a live inspirational Team Ireland Olympic Ambassador workshop.
TARGET AUDIENCE: School students aged 10 to 16.
ACTIVITIES: The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LNOC) has implemented OVEP since 2017, and was among the first to have the OVEP Toolkit translated. The programme provides educators with the tools and training required to help young people of various age groups discover and embrace the Olympic educational themes and core values. The resources used are the OVEP Toolkit as well as educational material created by the LNOC.
TARGET AUDIENCE: All educators, school administrators, coaches and trainers, athletes and young people.
ACTIVITIES: In Ukraine, Olympic education is disseminated through professional education (coaches, teachers, sports journalists, NOC staff) and educational activities for children and young people. Every year, over 20 cultural and educational projects that promote the Olympic ideals and values are developed, including: All-Ukrainian Network of Olympic Education Schools, Olympic Stork Cultural and Educational Festival, Olympic Lesson, Olympic Library, Do Like Olympians, Olympic Art Projects (painting, literature, poetry, sculpturing, etc.), and #OlympicLab.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Children and young people
Asia
ACTIVITIES: The IOC’s Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage partnered with the State Government of Odisha and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) to implement OVEP in Odisha India in 2022. OVEP is implemented in select schools in Odisha through theme-based and event-based activities, by integrating Olympism into the curriculum and using local and indigenous games and stories as a basis for activities. Now in its second year, the programme has reached more than 700 teachers and 250,000 children in 350 schools, and expanded to the states of Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai. It is anticipated that OVEP will eventually reach around 29 million children across India.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Educators, physical education teachers and students.
The Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) represented by Oman Olympic Academy (OOA) in collaboration with International Olympic Solidarity launched OVEP in Oman in April 2024.
Activities
The project ‘The Olympic Values Torch Relay in the Sultanate of Oman’ aims to promote Olympic culture and values in Oman. It is divided into two programmes: the Training of Trainers in Olympic Values Education and the Olympic Culture and Values Initiatives programme. The project aims to be implemented in all governorates of Oman gradually over two years (2024-2025) as a first phase, with an evaluation before starting subsequent phases.
The project has multiple objectives, including supporting and instilling the principles of the Olympic movement among youth and young people in Oman, promoting Olympic culture and the Olympic values among PE teachers, coaches, students, and athletes in schools, clubs, academies, sports centres, and private sports teams, in addition to equipping teachers and coaches with the skills and knowledge to instill Olympic values among students and athletes in training sessions and sports competitions.
As of October 2024, the Oman Olympic Committee advanced to the 2nd phase of the promotion of Olympic culture and values through training workshops for PE teachers and coaches. This initiative aims to instill Olympic principles in young athletes and the broader community across Oman by training future trainers, enhancing local sports education, and expanding the Olympic movement's reach throughout various governorates.
Target Audience: PE teachers, Coaches, young athletes, and youth in schools and sports institutions nationwide.
Africa
ACTIVITIES: In May 2022, 60 participants from the Senegalese National Olympic Academy, Ministries of Sport, National Education and Youth, and the National Education and Sports Institute, took part in the Train The Trainer workshops, to develop their own programmes around the Olympic values. A national rollout to Senegalese schools began in 2023. The programme includes the “Brevet Olympique Civique et Sportif” certificate awarded to students attending classes teaching Olympic values as part of the civic education lessons.
TARGET AUDIENCE: School children, primary to secondary levels.