International Olympic Day 2022 – History, Theme, Facts and Quiz

June 23 is considered the International Olympic Day. The day is observed with reverence to the Modern Olympic Games. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic movements. Olympics engages the global participation of sports regardless of age, gender and nation. Explore the International Olympic Day 2022.

International Olympic Day 2022 – History

While tracing the history, we see the roots of the Olympics in 8th century BC Greece. Greece promoted the tradition of sports and athletes. They encourage the participation of games and conducted many from ancient times.  Baron Pierre de Coubertin was motivated by the ancient Olympic games and later resulted in the creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and conducted the first modern Olympic games.

The modern Olympic sports did hold in 1894 following the reconstruction of the old Olympic games. Thus, to remember and celebrate the birth of modern Olympic games, on the 23rd June in 1984 in Paris, the international Olympic games are managed to be held every year.

As a historical record, women were permitted to play in the Olympics only since 1900. The winter and summer Olympics were held on the same dates from 1924 to 1992. Later, changes took over. The Olympic day was first observed on June 23 in 1948 and some countries like Greece, Canada, Great Britain and Uruguay established the Olympic day in their countries.

During the 41st Session in the year 1947, the International Olympic Committee in Stockholm, an International Olympic Committee member, Doctor Gruss, in Czechoslovakia, bestowed a report about the celebration of Olympic Day. In January 1948 the plan was selected one year later on the occurrence of the 42nd IOC Session in St. Moritz.

The National Olympic Committee was in charge of planning the arrangements for this day and asked to choose between 17th and 24th June. The organizing committee ultimately concluded that the International Olympic Day will be celebrated on 23rd June annually. The first Olympic Day was observed on 23rd June in the year 1948.

Olympic Day Theme 2022

The International Olympic Day 2021 theme was “Move, learn and discover”. In 2022, the new pillar entitled “Together for a better world” was introduced. It addresses issues such as sustainability, inclusivity, solidarity, and peace, to bring people together through sport to make the world a better place. Generally, the Olympic day themes includes the inspiration and motivation to be included in the games and sports. It encourages people to include a healthy life styles and energetic routines.

World Olympic Day 2022 Significance

International Olympic Day is formed as an inspiration and encouragement for passionate lovers of sports and other games. Thus, the International Olympic Day aims to encourage, appreciate and inspire the aspirants of sports globally. The day can also be considered as a source of remembrance for the players and winners of proud history. Every year, a day to highlight the pride of nations and invoke the importance of the games and sports, that’s what the whole day is about. Many activities are promoted on this day which makes it even more interesting

What Do the Olympic Rings Symbolize?

One unifying flag staying flown overall in games and sports activities is the iconic five-ring Olympic flag. Have you ever thought of its meaning? Let me explain how the Flag looks in detail. The Olympic flag has a white framework, with five intertwined rings in the center with the colors blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic and it describes the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colors are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at present.

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What is Olympic Day Run?

Have you heard of the Olympic Day Run? The International Olympic Committee organizes the Olympic Day Run. It’s the worldwide activity organized on this day or the month of June inspiring mass participation. The

Olympic Day Run is an activity organized worldwide, promoting mass participation of sports held in June. The International Olympic Committee organizes a run. The first Olympic run was held in 1987 to promote the participation of every humankind in sports and athletics, over 10 km. The real goal is to encourage the educate and encourage everyone about the necessity of sports and games. The real mindset of the movement is evoking the interest in sports in humans as a whole.

The Olympic Day Run is usually organized from 17th to 24th June by the National Olympic Committees, in different places. There is a 1.5 km fun run that gets organized. This can be said as an earnest international attempt to promote fitness and well–being along with the Olympic ideals of Fair play, Solidarity, Respect and Sportsmanship beyond the globe.

World Olympic Day is according to the three pedestals, Move, Learn and Discover. India has been an energetic member of the Olympics for many years. India first competed in the Olympics in the year 1900. NOC in India also combines the Olympic Day Run every year and inspires more people to engage in sports and games

Random Facts

• The six colors – blue, yellow, black, green, red, and white background – were taken because all nation’s flag includes at least one of them.
• In the 2012 London Games, all participating countries sent female athletes.
• The first Olympic Games held in the 8th century B.C. in Olympia, Greece. They were held all four years for 12 ages.
• The first modern Olympics were held in 1896 in Greece.
• In ancient Greece, athletes didn’t bother about sponsorship, protection, or fashion – they played without any protection
• In ancient times, the games lasted five or six months.
• Women were not allowed to compete initially, later began their incredible emergence in the Olympics from 1900.
• The Winter and the Summer Olympics took place in the same year, from 1924-1992,
• Only four players have accomplished medals in both the Olympics. In which only Christa Ludinger-Rothenburger, won medals in the same year.
• During the 2012 London Games, the Olympic Village needed 165,000 towels for a bit more than two weeks of action.
• From 1912-1948, artisans engaged in the Olympics: Painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and musicians played for medals in their corresponding fields.

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List of Olympic Sports

• Archery
• Badminton
• Baseball and softball
• Basketball (including 3×3 basketball)
• Beach volleyball
• Boxing
• Canoe/kayak
• Climbing
• Cycling (track, road, mountain, BMX)
• Diving
• Equestrian (dressage, jumping and eventing)
• Fencing
• Field hockey
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Judo
• Karate
• Modern pentathlon
• Roller sport (skateboarding)
• Rowing
• Rugby 7s
• Sailing (including windsurfing)
• Shooting
• Soccer/football
• Swimming
• Surfing
• Synchronized swimming
• Table tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Track and field
• Triathlon
• Volleyball (indoor)
• Water polo
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling
• Kiteboarding (as part of sailing in 2024)
• Breakdancing (added for 2024)
• Baseball and softball (added for 2020)
• Karate (added for 2020)
• Skateboarding (added for 2020)
• Climbing (added for 2020)
• Surfing (added for 2020)
• 3×3 basketball (as part of basketball in 2020)
• Golf (in 2016)
• Rugby union (in 2016)
• Baseball (in 2008)
• Softball

International Olympic Day Quotes 2022

• Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before. – Bonnie Blair, American speed skater and five-time gold medalist
• Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons of life. – Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater and 1992 gold medalist
• I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match. – Mia Hamm, American soccer player and two-time gold medalist
• If you dream and allow yourself to dream, you can do anything. – Clara Hughes, Canadian cyclist and 2006 gold-medal-winning speed skater
• The world never puts a price on you higher than the one you put on yourself. – Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater and three-time gold medalist
• Without passion, you won’t do something 100 per cent. That’s the bottom line. – Apolo Ohno, American speed skater and an eight-time medalist
• It’s not about winning at the Olympic Games. It’s about trying to win. The motto is faster, higher, stronger, not fastest, highest, strongest. Sometimes it’s the trying that matters. – Bronte Barratt, Australian swimmer and 2008 gold medalist
• To win, you have to risk loss. – Jean-Claude Killy, French ski racer and three-time gold medalist
• There is a popular fallacy that falling is the mark of a poor skater. But the truth is that when one stops falling, he has probably stopped improving. – Dick Button, American figure skater and two-time gold medalist
• Are you going to stand or are you going to crumble? In the face of everything, standstill. – Gabby Douglas, American gymnast and three-time gold medalist

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Activities for the Day

• An international day is observed to promote the ideals of that day with many inspiriting and interesting activities. You can check the following activities and try to engage in any to make this day a memorable one.
• Participate in the run movement
• Be a part of the games and sports committee in your area
• Start a game or sports as per your interest
• Help any already working sports organization to develop
• You can also donate and make sure the growth of the sports clubs near your residence
• Join the social media sports groups and promote the ideologies
• Share the inspiring stories of athletes and sportsmen
• You can also share the wow moments that happened in the Olympics of any year

Books Related to Olympics and Sports

• The Boys in the Boat
• by Daniel James Brown
• For the Glory by Duncan Hamilton
• Master of the Ceremonies by Ric Birch
• The Amateurs by David Halberstam
• Don’t Tell Me You’re Afraid by Giuseppe Catozzella
• Striking Back by Aaron J. Klein
• The Olympic Games by John Rodda and Lord Killanin
• Speed Kings by Andy Bull
• How to Watch the Olympics by David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton
• The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet
• Foxcatcher by Mark Schultz
• Just Don’t Fall by Josh Sundquist
• The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey

International Olympic Day 2022- Quiz

1) What year did the modern Olympics start?
Answer: 1896 CE
2) What is the date of the first known Olympic Games?
Answer: 776 BCE
3) How many rings are there on the Olympic flag?
Answer: 5
4) How often are the Olympic Games held?
Answer: 4 Years
5) What organization manages the Olympic Games?
Answer: International Olympic Committee
6) Who holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by an athlete?
Answer: Michael Phelps
7) To which Greek god was the ancient Olympic Games dedicated?
Answer: Zeus
8) Who was the first recorded Olympic champion?
Answer: Coroebus of Elis
9) When were the last pure gold medals awarded at the Olympics?
Answer: 1912
10) Where was the first Olympic Village built?
Answer: Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles
11) For which event did Bob Mathias become the youngest Olympic gold medalist?
Answer: Decathlon
12) In which Olympics did the Soviet Union make its debut?
Answer: Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games
13) Who was the first athlete to win two Olympic marathons?
Answer: Abebe Bikila
14) Who lit the 2000 Olympic flame in Sydney?
Answer: Cathy Freeman
15) When did China host the Olympic Games for the first time?
Answer: 2008

Read more about the Olympics through the above books and get to know the relevance of the International Olympics day. Olympic Day and the relevance of the winners in Olympics are varied. It’s also a matter of pride for every Nation!