Celebrating Olympic Day

Every year on June 23, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world celebrate Olympic Day by participating in competitions, runs, educational programming, and all kinds of other activities. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has been working to assist communities across the country with their celebrations. Their goal was to ensure that at least one of the 10,000 Olympians and Paralympians in the U.S. would be able to attend each event to share their experiences. Olympic Day encourages fitness and mass participation in sports, along with promoting ideals like fair play, perseverance, respect, and sportsmanship.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved Olympic Day in January of 1948 as a way to commemorate June 23, 1894, the date when the IOC was established through the work of Pierre de Coubertin to revive the Olympic Games of ancient Greece. The National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of nine countries held ceremonies for the first Olympic Day, but today people from more than 160 countries are taking part in Olympic Day events.

To brush up on your knowledge of the Olympic Games before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, take a look at The Olympics For Beginners. It’s a great way to learn more about the history of your favorite sporting events.