Olympic Day is a celebration of sport, health and togetherness. Every year on 23 June, it invites everyone around the world to get active and move together. It is the pleasure and mission of the National Olympic Academies to organise memorable events around this day.
One month ahead of the Olympic Day 2023, the EOA reports on the last year’s Olympic Day 2022 activities that happened all over the European continent. The slogan of Olympic Day 2022 was “Together for a better world”, and was accompanied on social media by the hashtags #MoveForPeace and #OlympicDay.
The chapters are gradually updated every Friday.
Running the Virtual Race in Croatia
The Olympic Day in Croatia was celebrated partly live and partly virtually in Croatia.
The Olympic Day Run Croatia was organised virtually. 458 runners from all parts of Croatia, but also from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland participated in the race. The great value of this race was that, through its virtual format, it was able to gather a wider population, from children and recreational runners (for whom this is often the first race in their life) to top runners, professionals and Olympians.
As part of the Olympic Day celebration, an art competition on the topic of Olympic rings was organised. A total of 90 school sports clubs from primary and secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia submitted 460 artworks.
Roller skating and tennis workshops and joint competitions in running, high jump, long jump, soccer and floor hockey were organised for kindergarten children in Zagreb. For elementary schools, the COA organised sports competitions and interactive workshops on Olympism.
Young Athletes Shine at Greece’s Olympic Day Celebration for Peace
Last year, Greece celebrated Olympic Day with a variety of events and activities across the country. The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) and Hellenic Olympic Academy (HOA) organised events which allowed people to try new sports and learn about Olympic values trough the pillars “move, learn, discover – Together”.
The Olympic Day activities were centered around the theme of peace, with “Move for Peace” as its guiding principle, creating a platform for people to unite, gain knowledge, and participate in physical activity towards promoting peace. To celebrate the occasion, young artists expressed their visions through art and people were invited to share their own images of solidarity and peace through sport. Additionally, as a tribute to the creativity of the new generation, schools were invited to take part in a national competition where students could write lyrics for the official HOA anthem, which embodies the Olympic values and ideals.
Several sports events took place across the country, including Thessaloniki Olympic Day run, Hellas Gym Festival, Thessaloniki beach volley Grand Slam, Acropolis Cup boxing competition, Fencing National Juniors Championship, and Olympic Day run in Ancient Olympia. Summer camps and sport activities were also organised by the YMCA, Swimming Club Poseidonas Ilission, and Sport sector of Municipality of Athens, among others.
Moreover, the celebration of the Olympic Day took place at the Athens Olympic Museum, Ukrainian Refugees camp in Elefsina and Rafina, Taekwondo Festival Competition “Ilis & Paris,” and Cheerleading National Championship. The Ministry of Defense celebrated the Olympic Day at Panathenaic Stadium by sport activities with young kids.
Ukraine: Celebrating Olympic Day with Unity, Friendship, and Support Despite Ongoing Conflict
Despite the ongoing invasion of Russia, the Olympic Day celebrations in Ukraine held on June 23, 2022, were a success. The principles of unity, friendship, and support were put into practice throughout the country, with the participation of eminent Olympians like Vadim Gutzeit, Natalya Dobrynskaya, Katerina Dubrovina, and Elena Petrova. The events included Olympic quizzes, brain-rings, Olympic challenges, physical exercises, and competitions conducted by all 26 regional branches of the Olympic Academy of Ukraine.
During this Olympic Day, special attention was paid to involving children with hearing problems and impairments in the Olympic values. Not only local youth took part in the Olympic Day events, but also young people temporarily resettled abroad, who fled from the war-torn regions. Participation in the events united the youth around the Olympic values – friendship, excellence, and respect for the sake of peace.
The celebration also honoured the birthday of Aleksey Boutovsky, an associate of Pierre de Coubertin and one of the founders of the International Olympic Committee, with Boutovsky Readings and memorial tournaments in various sports.
