International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
Next: April 6, 2027
Play together, grow together.
The story
Where it comes from
On 23 August 2013 the UN General Assembly proclaimed 6 April the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, in resolution 67/296, and it has been held every year since 2014. The International Olympic Committee proposed the idea, and the date recalls the opening of the first modern Olympic Games, in Athens on 6 April 1896, when about 60,000 people gathered at the restored marble Panathenaic Stadium. The day celebrates sport's power to bring people together, build health and teamwork, and support education and peace.
How it's celebrated
The UN, the IOC and sports bodies hold events and talks, and clubs, schools and community groups organise games, matches and fun runs. Many people join the #WhiteCard campaign started by the Monaco-based organisation Peace and Sport: they hold up a blank white card, as a referee would, take a photo and share it as a sign of inclusion and peace.
Did you know
- On 6 April 1896, the opening day in Athens, the American James Connolly won the triple jump and became the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years.
- The white card is meant as the opposite of a referee's red card: instead of sending someone off, it invites everyone in.
- Japan first took part in the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, with just two athletes, the sprinter Yahiko Mishima and the marathon runner Shizo Kanakuri.
Coming up next
- World Health Day · April 7, 2027
- International Roma Day · April 8, 2027
- The Earliest Recorded Voice · April 9, 2027
- Siblings Day · April 10, 2027
- World Parkinson's Day · April 11, 2027
- International Day of Human Space Flight · April 12, 2027