What is Olympic Day?

News 18 Jun 25

Every year on 23 June, athletes around the world celebrate Olympic Day.

An annual tradition that dates back to 1948, the day allows Olympians and those involved in the Olympic Movement to reflect on the values of the Olympic Games.

This year Team GB have plenty of exciting opportunities to join the fun and celebrate and here’s how you can get involved.

What is Olympic Day?

At the 41st Session of the International Olympic Committee in 1947, Doctor Gruss, an IOC member in Czechoslovakia, proposed the idea of an annual global celebration to promote the Olympic movement and its ideas.

The following year, the first Olympic Day took place on 23 June, just ahead of the 1948 London Olympic Games.

The specific day was chosen in association with the founding of the International Olympic Committee by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894.

A happy birthday of sorts for the Olympics.

It took another 30 years for the event to officially catch on, with Olympic Day added to the Olympic Charter in 1978 and National Olympic Committees asked to organise events in celebration.

It is a day which allows athletes of the past and present to share their memories of competing at an Olympic Games, as countries around the globe hold activities to promote the values of how sport can make the world a better place.

What happens on Olympic Day?

The staple of activities on Olympic Day consists of athletes sharing their memories on social media.

However, the main worldwide event is known as the Olympic Day run.

With ambitions to get people moving, the run dates back to 1987 and now sees more than 150 National Olympic Committee's participating.

The run is usually held between 17–24 June, with a 1.5 km Olympic Day Fun Run, 5 km, and 10 km running distances available.

What is Team GB doing this Olympic Day?

The Olympic Run is the name and running is the game.

This year Team GB and Team GB Foundation have partnered with junior parkrun and the Daily Mile for an action-packed weekend of activity for Olympic Day.

And there will also be a couple of famous faces on show.

From three-time Olympic champion Max Whitlock and Tokyo 2020 Olympians Abigail Irozuru set to star in Manchester, to Anna Hopkin, Kate French, Nekoda Smythe-Davis and more, there are a host of Team GB names ready to join in and celebrate the day.

Team GB junior parkrun

Every Sunday, the weekly junior parkrun event take place in parks across the country.

The free 2km run, for children between the ages of four and 14, is an opportunity for youngsters to hone their running skills and get active.

And in an exciting one-off event on the 22 June, more than 400 junior parkruns will be donning the Olympic colours and celebrating Olympic Day.

It will be a chance for families and young children to take part in a range of Olympic-themed activities and maybe even possibly meet an Olympian.

To find your local junior parkrun and celebrate Olympic day, find out more here.

Team GB Daily Mile

The Daily Mile is an initiative based on helping children get at least 15 minutes of physical activity per day with children running, wheeling, or walking at their own pace.

And on 23 June 2025, more than 330 schools and 80,000 children will take part in a special edition of the event: Team GB's Olympic Day Daily Mile.

Approximately 30 Olympians will surprise their local primary school by joining in on the event in what is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the athletes of tomorrow.

Team GB Olympic Day event

On Olympic Day itself, Team GB will be visiting St Mary’s RC Primary School in Salford, Manchester.

Team GB Foundation Ambassador Whitlock and Irozuru will headline an exciting morning as they welcome children and parents into the school before an Olympics themed assembly.

Children will then complete their Olympic Day Daily Mile alongside the two athletes as they learn more about what the Olympic Movement is all about.

Fans can also download the Team GB app to take on a blockbuster Olympic Day quiz to compete against other fans, schools and teams to show your Olympic spirit.

Sportsbeat 2025

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