What is Olympic Day?

Team GB Foundation 05 Jun 26

Team GB Olympic Day 2026

This Olympic Day, Team GB are supercharging the campaign across the UK by helping children to “Fuel Up and Move More".

The aim is to encourage young people to make a pledge on how they will continue to eat well and stay physically active to support a healthy lifestyle.

To do this, over 60 events across the Daily Mile and junior parkrun will be supported by Olympic athletes in the week of Olympic Day, with appearances from Max Whitlock, Eve Muirhead, Emma Finucane, Tabby Stoecker and Jen Dodds. There will also be athletes from Games as far back as 1964 attending events.

Team GB partner Quaker Oats will also be supporting breakfast clubs, with over 6,000 porridge pots delivered to schools to ensure children can fuel up for their Olympic Day activities and learn about the importance of a healthy breakfast.

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?

On Olympic Day, communities around the world come together to celebrate the Olympic Movement and the power of sport.

Over 150 countries will be celebrating Olympic Day with a social run to get people moving and celebrating. Every year, more countries take part and add on to their celebrations.

Athletes will also get involved by attending these events and also sharing their Olympic moments on social media.

This year, Team GB’s Olympic Day events include a Olympic Day Daily Mile in schools on the 23rd of June, and a Olympic Day junior parkrun nationwide on the 28th of June.

The 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.

On 23 June 2026, over 140 schools across the country will take part in a special edition of the event: Team GB's Olympic Day Daily Mile.

A number of Team GB 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.

junior parkrun

Every Sunday, the weekly junior parkrun event takes 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.

Continuing our partnership with junior parkrun after the success of Olympic Day 2024 and 2025, this year Team GB will deliver an ‘Olympic junior parkrun’ on Sunday 28 June 2026, encouraging the whole family to get moving!

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.

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