Olympic Day
Next: June 23, 2027
The first step is the hardest.
The story
Where it comes from
Olympic Day marks the founding of the International Olympic Committee at the Sorbonne in Paris on 23 June 1894, when Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games. In 1947 Dr Gruss, the IOC member in Czechoslovakia, proposed a world day to promote the Olympic ideals, and the IOC adopted the idea in St Moritz in January 1948. The first Olympic Day was held on 23 June 1948, when nine countries took part and the IOC President, Sigfrid Edström, sent a message to the young people of the world.
How it's celebrated
National Olympic Committees organise runs and other sporting events open to everyone, whatever their level. The Olympic Day Run, the heart of the day since 1987, has grown from 45 countries' committees in its first year to more than 150. The IOC now frames the day around moving more, with the reminder that the hardest step is often the first. Join in with a walk, a jog or a game with friends.
Did you know
- When the day was created, National Olympic Committees were invited to choose any date between 17 and 24 June.
- In 1978 the Olympic Charter first recommended that every National Olympic Committee celebrate Olympic Day.
- Singapore hosted the first Youth Olympic Games, from 14 to 26 August 2010, with 3,524 young athletes in 201 events.
Coming up next
- International Day of Women in Diplomacy · June 24, 2027
- Day of the Seafarer · June 25, 2027
- The First Barcode Scan · June 26, 2027
- International Day of Deafblindness · June 27, 2027
- Vietnamese Family Day · June 28, 2027
- Peter Paul Rubens's Birthday · June 28, 2027