International Olympic Day 2025 Celebrated on June 23 with “Let’s Move ?” Campaign to Promote Physical Activity Worldwide.
Important Days
Every June 23, the Olympic Movement celebrates International Olympic Day, commemorating the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. In 2025, the global theme “Let’s Move ?”, launched with WHO, urges communal physical activity to combat inactivity.
- The concept of Olympic Day dates back to 1947, when Dr. Josef Gruss of Czechoslovakia proposed it at the IOC’s 41st session in Stockholm. The initiative was approved at the 42nd session in St. Moritz in January 1948, and launched in nine countries on June 23, 1948.
- International Olympic Day annually marks the 1894 founding of the IOC by Baron Pierre de Coubertin at the Sorbonne, Paris. Now observed in over 150 nations, it promotes core Olympic values – excellence, friendship, and respect – through global sporting and educational events.
- The 2025 theme, “Let’s Move?”, jointly launched by the IOC and World Health Organization (WHO) on 17 June, addresses alarming inactivity levels: 1 in 3 adults and over 80% of youths globally fall short of recommended physical activity . The campaign encourages shared movement to foster health, community, and joy.
Main Point :- (i) Highlights of the day include Olympic Day Runs—non-competitive events ranging from 1.5 km fun runs to 10 km races—participated in by national Olympic committees worldwide. First launched in 1987, today over 160 NOCs organise these events to drive mass sport participation.
(ii) In 2025, the IOC partnered with WHO and global sponsors like Samsung and TCL, plus Indian partners like Reliance Foundation & Abhinav Bindra Foundation, launching “Let’s Move +1” to mobilise communities via mass events, digital challenges, and free access to sports venues in 50+ Indian cities.
(iii) The movement emphasizes that sport is both a physical and social connector. IOC President Thomas Bach noted, “Sport is joy… sport brings people together,” while WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus framed it as a “low-cost, high-impact tool for healthy bodies, healthy minds, and resilient communities”.
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