IOC’s Let’s Move and Celebrate invites everyone to embrace the joy of movement ahead of Paris 2024 for better mental and physical health 

Moving daily improves mental wellbeing and physical health. At the same time, there continues to be a downward trend in the amount of time people are moving across the world. Research by the WHO shows that 81 per cent of adolescents are not active enough for their health, with girls less active than boys. People are often more likely to maintain consistent exercise routines when activities are enjoyable and accessible.

This is why the Olympic Movement is coming together this summer and calling on everyone to embrace the joy of sport, something that is encapsulated in the athlete celebration – an iconic and integral moment of the Olympic Games. Whether it’s a triumphant dance after a goal, a legendary pose when crossing the finish line, an exchange of raw emotion with teammates, or fans joining in from the stands, these moments of joy encapsulate the unique spirit of the world’s biggest sporting event.

“The Olympic Games are a showcase of the world's finest athletes demonstrating what the human body is capable of,” said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But you don't have to be an Olympian to be active. WHO is proud to partner again with the IOC through the Let’s Move campaign, to inspire people of all ages to be more physically active and healthy.”

Athletes getting ready for Paris 2024, including gymnast Noemi Romero and rugby player Eduardo Lopez, and Olympic legends like Alistair Brownlee and Lindsey Vonn, are joining the rallying cry to encourage everyone to move more this summer.

Brownlee, a double Olympic triathlon gold medallist from Great Britain, said, “Let’s Move is a great initiative, as it demonstrates to everyone the joy and simplicity of movement. Movement and exercise are such an important part of everyone’s health, and it’s brilliant to see how the Olympic Movement can transcend all levels of fitness to encourage everyone to move in their own way.”

Let’s Move and Celebrate is the theme of this year’s Olympic Day. Olympic Day, established in 1948, is a global celebration of sport and getting active that takes place on 23 June each year to commemorate the day the IOC was founded in 1894 – the birth of the modern Olympic Games.

On 23 June, over 110 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in all corners of the world, together with Olympic hosts and the wider Olympic Movement, will be holding mass participation events and digital activations, providing an opportunity for everyone to move together on Olympic Day.

This includes the traditional Olympic Day run and multi-sport events organised by NOCs and joined by Olympians, including those getting ready to compete at Paris 2024, plus unique activations such as Let’s Move fan booths and 30 minutes of sports activity at the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest from 19 to 23 June, at Ludovika Campus, Hungary.

Let’s Move activations as part of the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) are underway in India, through a collaboration with the Abinhav Bindra and Reliance Foundation, inviting schools across the nation to participate; and in the People’s Republic of China, with a mini programme on the Olympics channel on WeChat. Iconic landmarks across the world will also be lit up in the Olympic colours on 23 June to celebrate together.

Worldwide Olympic Partners will also join the movement, including Samsung, which is launching an Olympic Day step challenge on Samsung Health that will encourage users to move forward together in the warm-up for Paris 2024. Intel will feature Let’s Move as part of their Intel AI Platform Experience in collaboration with Samsung, an immersive AI-powered fan activation that takes spectators on a journey of becoming an Olympic athlete. The experience, housed in the iconic Stade de France, will use AI and computer vision to analyse athletic drills and match each participant’s profile to a specific Olympic sport.

Let’s Move is an ongoing initiative spearheaded by the IOC that aims to inspire people to move more every day, anyhow, anywhere. Let’s Move is part of the Olympic Movement’s mission to make the world a better place through sport, setting out to highlight the positive impact that sport and fitness have on physical and mental health. Launched on Olympic Day 2023 in collaboration with WHO, Let’s Move saw participation by over 1,000 athletes, with more than 15 million people around the world taking part in physical activity. It directly contributes to the Olympism365 priority area of “Sport, Health and Active Communities”, which is focused on ensuring that more people, from more diverse backgrounds, can enjoy the mental and physical benefits of participating in sport and physical activity.

Join the movement and celebrate the Olympians gearing up for Paris 2024 by sharing your moves on social media with @Olympics and #LetsMove. For more details on local Olympic Day activations, visit Olympics.com.