World Olympic Day 2022: History, significance, and Theme – Everything you need to know about this annual day honoring the Olympic Movement
World Olympic Day 2022: This event was organized by the National Olympic Committees. June 23 is a significant date in the history and evolution of the Olympic Movement.
Every year, the International Olympic Day (or World Olympic Day) is celebrated on June 23. It’s a celebration for sport, health and being together. This day is a chance for everyone to come together and be active with purpose.
Over the past 20 years, Olympic Day has been often associated with Olympic Day races all around the globe. These runs are held around the world to encourage the practice of mass sports.
NOCs organized a variety of cultural, educational, and sports activities to celebrate the occasion. Some countries even incorporate the event into their school curriculum.
The history behind the World Olympic Day 2022
At the 42nd IOC Session, St Moritz, the idea of an Olympic Day was approved. In 1948, doctor Gruss from Czech IOC presented the idea for a world Olympic Day at the 41st Session, International Olympic Committee, Stockholm, Sweden. This was done to celebrate the Olympic Movement.
This date commemorates the founding of IOC at Paris’ Sorbonne on 23 June 1894. Pierre de Coubertin was the one who revived the Olympic Games. This event was organized by the National Olympic Committees, and the 23rd of June is a significant moment in the history the Olympic Movement.
World Olympic Day 2022
This year’s theme is “Together, For a Peaceful World”, which will be accompanied with the hashtags #MoveForPeace, and #OlympicDay on social media. The World Olympic Day 2022 highlights the power of sport to bring people together and build a better world.
The IOC invites NOCs not only to run Olympic Day events on that day but also to develop their own Olympic Day activities. All continents have NOCs that continue to discover new ways for Olympians and athletes to interact with each other and try new sports.
The first edition of 1987 saw only 45 NOCs participate, but the number has risen to over 100. Tag @olympics with the hashtags if you participate in any sport that helps spread peace.
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OLYMPICS FACTS
What are the Olympic Rings?
Pierre de Coubertin, a French historian and educator, created the Olympic Rings in 1913.
The Olympic Rings are the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the Olympics. These five interlaced rings, each with five different colours, have been associated with the Olympics for over a century.
Who made the Olympic Rings
Pierre de Coubertin created the Olympic Rings in 1913. De Coubertin, a French historian and educator, was the founder and second president of International Olympic Committee (IOC). His legacy is widely recognized as the father of modern Olympics.
The Olympic Rings’ History
The Olympic Rings were first made available to the public in 1913. The rings were very simple in design. Five rings on a white background. If one looks from left-to-right, the five rings are interlaced and were coloured red, blue, yellow and black. These rings were first used during the Olympics in 1920 Antwerp Games. The IOC modified de Coubertin’s original rings slightly, and approved a revised version in 1957.
The IOC Graphics Standards published a description in 1986 of how the official Olympic Rings should look with space. The Olympic Rings were redesigned by Pierre de Coubertin in 2010.
The Official Versions Of Olympic Rings
There are seven versions of Olympic Rings. The full-colour de Coubertin version symbolizes the universality and dynamism of Olympism. However, the monochrome version serves as an alternative to the full-colour version.
Other versions include: blue coloured ring against white backdrop, yellow coloured ring against white background; black coloured rings against background; green coloured rings against background; red coloured rings against background; and white coloured rings against black background.
Significance of Olympic Rings
Pierre de Coubertin said that the Olympic rings are symbolic of Olympism’s universality and spirit. The world is represented by the five rings, and the six colors with the white background represent all nations.
The Olympic Rings, in accordance with Rule 8 of the Olympic Charter, expresses the activity and spirit of Olympic Movement and symbolizes the union and meeting of Olympic athletes from all five continents at the Olympic Games. The blue ring is for Europe, while the yellow ring is for Asia. Black, green, and red, on the other hand, represent America, Australia, and Africa respectively.
International Olympic Day 2022
This year’s theme is “Together, For a Peaceful World”, which will be accompanied with the hashtags #MoveForPeace, and #OlympicDay on social media. The International Olympic Day 2022 highlights the power of sport to bring people together and build a better world.
The IOC invites NOCs not only to run Olympic Day events on that day but also to develop their own Olympic Day activities. All continents have NOCs that continue to discover new ways for Olympians and athletes to interact with each other and try new sports.
Indian Olympic history: Results
The first edition of 1987 saw only 45 NOCs participate, but the number has risen to over 100. Tag @olympics with the hashtags if you participate in any sport that helps spread peace.
2008 onwards: Bindra’s historic gold sparks revival
The 2008 Beijing Olympics was a watershed moment in Indian Olympic history as shooter Abhinav Bindra claimed the nation’s first individual gold in the 10m Air Rifle event.
Boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar also won bronze medals – ensuring that India won multiple medals at a single Games for the first time since 1952.
The 2012 London Olympics saw Saina Nehwal win India’s first Olympic medal in badminton.
Sushil Kumar bagged his second Olympic medal while Gagan Narang, Vijay Kumar, Mary Kom and Yogeshwar Dutt also won to take India’s medals tally for that edition to six – the country’s biggest haul at the Summer Games till date.
At Rio 2016, PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik were India’s only medallists, the first time that the nation’s medal tally was made up of entirely female athletes.
Tokyo 2020 proved to be India’s most successful Olympics, as they returned with seven medals.
The Indian men’s hockey team broke its 41-year Olympic medal drought with a bronze and the women’s team recorded its best-ever finish of fourth.
The star of the campaign was undoubtedly Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s first track-and-field gold medal in the javelin throw. It was India’s first gold medal since Abhinav Bindra at Beijing 2008.
Neeraj Chopra’s gold came in India’s final event of Tokyo 2020 – ensuring a poetic end to the campaign.