Olympic Day
Olympic Day news
Olympic Day is an annual global celebration of sport that promotes healthy and active lifestyles. It takes place on 23 June, to commemorate the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894 - the start of the modern Olympic Games.
"Let’s Move 2026"
In 2026, Let’s Move carries the simple message: “You Can Do This!”, aiming to empower young people to make their first move, by reminding them that feeling awkward, imperfect or uncertain is normal but should not prevent them from taking that first step.
Sport is for all of us. Whether you are an Olympian, part of the local community team, run with friends for fun, we all begin at the same starting line. Often, the hardest step is that first one. Every athlete has been there, with those creeping questions of self-doubt: am I ready, can I do this? But when our bodies start to move, our mindset does too. Confidence builds with each step, you start to believe in yourself, and together, we lift each other up. This is the power of sport – it’s not just about what we can do physically, but what we believe we can do, together.
Find out here how to get involved: Let's Move | Olympics
Olympic Day History
It was in 1947 during the 41st Session of the International Olympic Committee in Stockholm, that Doctor Gruss, IOC member in Czechoslovakia, presented a report on a World Olympic Day celebration, which would primarily be a day of promoting the Olympic ideals[EM2.1]. The project was adopted some months later during the 42nd IOC Session in St Moritz in January 1948. The National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were entrusted with organising this event and were invited to selec a date between 17 and 24 June, thereby celebrating the founding of the International Olympic Committee at the Sorbonne, Paris, on 23 June 1894, where Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games.
The first Olympic Day was celebrated on 23 June 1948. On this occasion, Sigfrid Edström, IOC President at that time, delivered a message to the young people of the world. Portugal, Greece, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, Great Britain, Uruguay, Venezuela and Belgium celebrated Olympic Day in their respective countries.
In the 1978 edition of the Olympic Charter, the IOC recommended for the first time that all NOCs celebrate Olympic Day to promote the Olympic Movement.
The Olympic Day Run can be considered as the core activity of Olympic Day. First launched in 1987, it has been organised by NOCs to celebrate Olympic Day and promote the practice of mass sport. From 45 participating NOCs in the first edition in 1987, the numbers have grown to more than 150 participating NOCs.