Festive and inspiring Olympic Day celebrations throughout June in Uruguay

“For Olympic Day, our programme consists of a series of activities throughout June, organised in coordination with our National Federations,” explains Maria Newton, who is organising this event for the Uruguayan Olympic Committee (COU). “There is a variety of activities: sports competitions, chances to meet Olympians and various workshops. We’ll also have an official ceremony on 20 June at our headquarters in Montevideo, to commemorate Olympic Day with our country’s sports family.”

Without including the spectators, these events will be attracting many enthusiastic participants, Maria Newton believes. “We are expecting around 4,200 people to take part, many of them children.”

She adds: “This is a way of strengthening the link that children, young people and adults already have with sport, and a great opportunity for people to get their first experience of the sports world.”

A chance to celebrate friendship

This is not the first such occasion for the COU, which was created in 1923. It has been bending over backwards to celebrate Olympic Day for many years already, and regards it as particularly important. And the results achieved have always been very positive. “This is shown by the increase in the number of activities this year. The more we offer, the greater the level of interest and motivation among the public to continue playing sport afterwards.”

The organiser concludes: “Commemorating Olympic Day gives us the chance to share the joy of sport with the whole population, inspiring people to become better, more tolerant and more respectful human beings. This is an opportunity to celebrate friendship, and it’s an event held in a very special atmosphere. The way the children’s eyes light up when they meet an Olympic athlete reflects their desire … and their dream to become one, too!”