Every year the International Olympic day is observed on June 23 to promote mass participation of sports which is organized by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs). The Olympic Day is a global celebration of the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the modern Olympic Movement which was started to revive the ancient Olympic Games which were held in Greece. The IOC was formed on June 23, 1894, by Pierre de Coubertin.

The International Olympic Day is a celebration of sport, health and being the best you can be and this year it will be celebrated on June 23, 2020 (Tuesday). The Olympic Day was held for the first time on June 23, 1948, with Austria, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela hosting ceremonies.

To encourage the effort of all participating NOCs, Olympic Day Run concept was put forward with the objective of promoting the practice of participation in sport by men, women and children and was first held in 1987. The Olympic Day Run is usually held during June 17–24 by NOCs, with 1.5 km Olympic Day Fun Run, 5 km, and 10 km running activities.

What is International Olympic Day?

International Olympic Day is celebrated to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games movement and International Olympic Committee on 23 June 1894. The goal was to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.

Why do we celebrate the Olympic Games?

Olympic Games today are celebrated as the revival of ancient Greek Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece.

What do the five rings on the Olympic symbol represent?

The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre and it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism. The five continents as described by the rungs are Africa (yellow), the Americas (red), Asia (green), Europe (black), and Oceania (blue).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 23, 2020 12:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).